Stephen Farrea as he appeared in his police booking photo.

PORTSMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT

PORTSMOUTH — A 34-year-old local man who was arrested two years ago after posting white nationalist recruiting flyers in East Providence is in trouble again — this time for alleged possession of child pornography.

Stephen Farrea, 34, of 37 Souza Way, Portsmouth, was arrested Friday, May 24, and arraigned on one count of possession of child pornography at 2nd Division District Court. The judge set his bail at $5,000 with surety.

The Portsmouth Police Detective Division started conducting an investigation into Farrea on April 12, after receiving “credible information” he may have been involved in the possession of child pornography, according to a police press release sent out Tuesday.

“After the forensic analysis of Farrea’s electronic devices, it was revealed that (he) possessed images of sexually explicit conduct between minors,” stated police, adding that detectives then obtained a court-approved warrant for Farrea’s arrest.

In June 2022, Farrea and Austin Conti of Warwick were found hanging white nationalist recruiting flyers on utility poles in East Providence. They were charged with obstructing police after refusing to provide identification, as well as violating an East Providence city code for posting the flyers.

In September 2022, Farrea and Conti both pled no contest to the obstruction charge and were sentenced to serve 20 hours of community service each.

The flyers stated that a “social club of nationalists from New England” were focused on “building a network of likeminded men and women dedicated to defending their lands and their people.”

Similar signs were found in 2022 along the route of the Bristol Fourth of July parade and in Providence, according to multiple reports.