Former Providence man sentenced to 18 years in prison for pedophilia

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced yesterday that a man was sentenced to 18 years in state prison after sexually assaulting three female victims between 2012 and 2018 who were younger than 14 years old.

Nelson Santos, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree child molestation.

Santos must also register as a sex offender, complete sex offender counseling and is subject to community supervision. The court also issued a no-contact order between the accused and the victims.

Officials say the assaults were discovered when one of the victim's mothers called Providence police following a domestic dispute in 2018, but the accused could not be located and he was later discovered he had fled to Guatemala.

As authorities prepared to extradite him, the defendant was apprehended near Marfa, Texas, while attempting to re-enter the United States illegally.

The defendant spent approximately 18 months in federal custody before being transferred to Rhode Island state custody and prosecuted for child molestation.