Woonsocket man sentenced to serve 14 years in state prison for child molestation
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Woonsocket man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 14 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading to multiple counts of child molestation involving three male victims under the age of 14 in 2021.
Alexander L’Esperance (age 53) waived grand jury indictment and entered a plea of nolo contendere to three counts of first-degree child molestation.
At a hearing on January 11, 2021, before Superior Court Magistrate John F. McBurney III, the Court sentenced the defendant to 25 years at the ACI with 14 years to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended with probation. The court further issued a no contact order between the defendant and the victims. Additionally, the defendant is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, must attend sex offender counseling, and is subject to community supervision requirements under state law.
“Sexual assaults against children remain an ongoing, devastating problem in Rhode Island – we have charged over 400 such cases over the last five years alone,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In this case, the defendant sexually assaulted several young children, changing their lives and the lives of their families forever. He deserves of every minute of the lengthy prison sentence imposed by the court. I am grateful to the victims for coming forward and for their strength and resiliency throughout this process.”
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on April 19, 2021, the defendant sexually assaulted three male victims under the age of 14 at his apartment on Park Avenue in Woonsocket.
Detective Gabriel Koneczny of the Woonsocket Police Department and Assistant Attorney General Shannon Signore and Special Assistant Attorney General Ariel Pittner of the Office of the Attorney General led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Students at Columbia University are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school. They filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on Thursday, demanding an investigation into the school's actions against pro-Palestinian students. The lawsuit alleges Columbia has mistreated students utilizing their first amendment rights. 
