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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Fire marshal in RI facing federal child exploitation charges, accused of soliciting girls and boys
'The nature of Almond's offenses is particularly disturbing considering his career in a position of trust as a first responder,' Assistant US Attorney Luke E. Goldworm wrote in the motion. Advertisement 'There were hundreds of files found on his phone that showed children naked or involved in sexual acts,' the motion said. 'Almond was not only viewing this content, but worse, he was actively seeking out young girls to send him videos to add to his collection.' The motion said Almond 'admitted to soliciting child pornography from underage users online and paying them for it.' During an initial appearance in federal court in Providence Friday afternoon, Almond was released on $10,000 bond and placed on home detention with a GPS monitor, a spokesperson for Leah B. Foley, US attorney for Massachusetts, said in an email. Almond's next hearing will be held in US District Court in Boston, but has not yet been scheduled. Advertisement Almond's lawyer, John L. Calcagni III, said he was 'not at liberty' to comment on his client's pending case, 'beyond acknowledging that he was arrested at his home this morning.' 'He fully cooperated with authorities at the time of his arrest; and is grateful to have been released on bail,' Calcagni said in an email Friday night. Calcagni said until his office reviews the evidence prosecutors have gathered, Calcagni and his team won't 'be able to fully understand and evaluate the allegations against our client and supporting evidence, or lack thereof.' According to charging documents, Almond chatted with minors online and solicited them for sexual content from Feb. 12, 2024 to Nov. 28, 2024. His first interaction with an undercover agent was in August 2024. In exchanges with the agent Almond believed to be a 15-year-old girl, Almond allegedly discussed traveling to Florida and meeting at an Airbnb 'to get more privacy,' court filings said. Prosecutors allege that Almond's collection of sexually explicit images and videos were of children as young as 10 and included hundreds of files of one young girl taken over a two-year period, as well as content Almond received from a 14-year-old boy via Snapchat, court records said. Almond was indicted on four charges: receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Tonya Alanez can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Victim in R.I. naked ‘fat testing' trial testifies he saw coach with ‘bulge' in his pants
Advertisement The student, then 15 years old, said he had developed an erection earlier after undressing for the 'puberty test,' during which Thomas pressed his thumb hard inside his inner thigh close to his genitals. Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up After the student got dressed Thomas asked him to disrobe again for further testing, he said. He complied, and once he put his clothes on again he noticed something in Thomas' pants, the student said. When asked by John L. Calcagni III, an attorney representing Thomas, about what he saw, the student said he observed 'a bulge' in the coach's pants. The student acknowledged that whether Thomas actually had an erection is his own opinion, but said, 'I've had an erection in khakis before. I know what it looks like.' Advertisement The student, who attended the high school from 2017 until 2021, was so embarrassed by the interaction that he didn't tell anybody what happened, he said. When he agreed to speak to prosecutors and an attorney representing victims in 2021, he only did so because, 'I felt I was speaking out on something that was wrong,' he said. 'It has ruined me,' he said, at times speaking through tears on the stand. The remarks built on testimony the student provided when Prosecutors allege while Thomas, 57, performed the tests — including the 'puberty test,' a 'fat test,' and others, including an alleged 'hernia check' — students were in their underwear. At some point during the exams, Thomas typically asked students the question, ' At the center of the case are two former players — including the one who testified on Tuesday — who said the coach privately touched their naked bodies near their groins either with calipers or his fingers. Thomas told them the tests would help improve their athletic abilities, prosecutors said. He performed them either in a windowless janitor's closet or an AV room that was attached to his office, they said. Advertisement Thomas Attorneys representing Thomas, however, have said the once-celebrated coach offered the voluntary testing program as he strived for a 'competitive advantage.' They have argued Thomas was never sexually aroused or given sexual gratification as a result of testing his students and never tested students with any sort of sexual intent. Rather, the two athletes in the criminal complaint had their own personal issues with the coach, including how much playing time they were given on the basketball court, they said. On Tuesday, Calcagni presented spreadsheet templates he said were used to track students' data from the tests that were always provided to the athletes afterward. The data included measurements of various body parts, heights, weights, and folds of skin. At one point during the student's testimony, Calcagni asked him to stand and show where on each thigh Thomas pressed his thumb into him to perform the 'puberty test.' The student stood, and appeared to move his genitals as he pointed to an area on his upper, inner thigh. Thomas did not physically touch his penis or scrotum at any point during the test, the student told Calcagni. Calcagni also confirmed that despite his testimony this week, the student, when speaking to prosecutors in 2021, did not say he had an erection during the first half of the 2018 testing session in question. Rather, he said he had one only after the coach told him undress again, according to Calcagni. Advertisement The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday. Thomas' attorneys have said the coach will, at some point, testify in his own defense. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
