A Warren man who tried to entice a minor into dressing in diapers and having sex with him at a local mall faces 10 years to life in federal prison, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, after pleading guilty to charges in U.S. District Court on Thursday, May 30.

Christopher Kinney, 44, of 631 Metacom Ave., thought he was corresponding with a 14-year-old girl when he arranged in late April of 2018 to meet the girl at the Warwick Mall. The plan was for her to put on diapers he provided, and then have sex in a mall bathroom. In reality, Mr. Kinney was communicating with a Rhode Island State Police Detective who had been alerted to Mr. Kinney’s alleged disturbing Facebook activity by a co-worker.

Mr. Kinney was arrested at the mall on April 26, 2018, after more than a week of communication with the undercover detective.

Co-worker raises alarm

Police first found out about Mr. Kinney after a co-worker approached state police in late March 2018 and alleged that his Facebook page was full of disturbing photos and imagery of young children, many of them wearing diapers, and of children as young as toddler age in various states of undress.

Detective Adam J. Houston, a nine-year veteran of the Rhode Island State Police, interviewed the complainant and learned through subsequent research that Mr. Kinney had twice been investigated by Rhode Island State Police for child molestation and was “an involved participant” in a Warren case of alleged child abuse.

Detective Houston also learned that in October 2017 Mr. Kinney had applied to the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, to be a foster parent. He was rejected.

Based on his initial findings, Detective Houston assumed the guise of a 14-year- old girl and “friend requested” Mr. Kinney through Facebook. He accepted her request, and on April 16 the two began a 10-day conversation that touched on punishment, diaper wearing, sex, parents, discipline and other matters, before they agreed to meet for sex at the Warwick Mall on Thursday, April 26.

“I can’t believe you want to have sex with someone older then you,” he wrote early that afternoon.

“I’m down for everything, so whatever u want to do is cool with me,” the detective wrote.

When Mr. Kinney arrived at the mall at 2 p.m. that afternoon, police were waiting and watched him go inside and look around in behavior “consistent with someone conducting counter surveillance in an attempt to locate and identity law enforcement.”

Shortly afterward, detectives approached Mr. Kinney and took him into custody. Searching his car, they found a bottle of deodorant, a diaper bag containing several diapers, two condoms, a pacifier and baby bottle, a bag of candy and a canister of bubble blowing fluid.

His phone was also seized and later police found at least 56 images of child pornography on it.

During a subsequent interview, Detective Houston voiced his concern over whether Mr. Kinney was physically hurting young children.

“Let me tell you something,” Mr. Kinney responded. “I loved kids to death okay. As a matter of fact I even went to classes to become a foster parent.”

Sentencing scheduled

Mr. Kinney is scheduled to be sentenced in September before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith. He faces:

* Penalties of 10 years to life imprisonment, a mandatory assessment of $5,000 as provided for in the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act, and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of using means of interstate commerce to entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity;

* Five to 10 years imprisonment, a mandatory assessment of $5,000 as provided for in the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act, and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of distribution of child pornography;

* And up to 10 years imprisonment, a mandatory assessment of $5,000 as provided for in the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act, and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of possession of child pornography.