Retired U.S. Naval Officer Charged With Enticing a Minor & Possession of Child Porn

Retired U.S. Naval Officer Charged With Enticing a Minor & Possession of Child Porn

A retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander was indicted on charges that he allegedly transported and enticed a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and that he distributed, received, and possessed child pornography all while actively serving and following his retirement from active service with the U.S. Navy.

Ronald Zenga, 49, was indicted on Tuesday on two counts of enticement or coercion of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity and one count each of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity, interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman.

Zenga was most recently stationed at the Naval War College in Newport.

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He retired from the Navy in October of 2017.

An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.

The Investigation

According to court documents, in September of 2018, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Providence received information from the Bedfordshire Police Department (BPD) in the United Kingdom that an individual, later identified by HSI as Zenga, was allegedly communicating with a BPD agent through a Russian file-sharing website.

According to the BPD, the communications allegedly graphically described ongoing sexual encounters with a young minor child.

It is alleged that Zenga described several years of sexual encounters with a child, dating back to the child’s prepubescent years. 

On October 17, 2018, HSI agents and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a federal court-authorized search of Zenga’s Middletown residence.

Forensic previews of Zenga’s electronic devices resulted in the discovery of emails and files of child pornography allegedly shared, received and possessed by Zenga.

Following the search of his residence, Zenga was arrested and detained in federal custody on a criminal complaint charging him with access with the intent to view child pornography, and receipt and possession of child pornography.