PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Warwick man who admitted that he attempted to entice a boy he communicated with online to engage in illicit sexual activity was sentenced May 15 to 10 years in federal prison following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England and the Rhode Island State Police.
Richard Senecal, 64, previously admitted to a federal judge that in April 2022, he engaged in a series of sexually explicit online communications with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. Senecal sent sexually explicit images and suggested sharing drugs, including methamphetamine, with the boy, and made arrangements to meet in Warwick to engage in sex. According to information presented to the court, that conduct occurred only months after Senecal was released on bail after being arrested in October 2021 for attempting to solicit a different 14-year-old boy for sex.
In both instances, the individuals that Senecal thought were 14-year-old boys were, in fact, members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Senecal pled guilty on Feb. 28, 2024, to attempted inducement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release. Senecal will be required to register as a sex offender.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police ICAC Task Force and HSI New England’s Providence Resident Agent in Charge office.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.