STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A South Shore man convicted in 2023 of possessing child pornography was arrested again on similar charges, court records show.
Richard Napoli, 36, of Russek Drive in Arden Heights, pleaded guilty to the latest charges on Dec. 10, 2025. In exchange for his plea, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23 to two to four years in prison. Judge Lisa Grey will hand down the sentence in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Napoli, whose name previously was spelled Nopoli in court documents, was still on probation for the 2023 case at the time of his latest arrest, court records show.
Defense attorney Gregory Esposito, who was retained in the case, noted during a court appearance Thursday that his client’s family has hired an “outside consultant to help with his foreseeable prison sentence.”
Esposito declined to comment further ahead of sentencing. His client has been held on Rikers Island without the option of bail following his latest arrest in late 2025.
‘My curiosity got the best of me’
In 2023, Napoli was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years of probation after being convicted of possessing a sexual performance by a child younger than 11 years old, state records show.
At the time of that arrest, he waived his Miranda Rights and spoke with investigators, court documents alleged.
“I believe the age ranges were 6 to 13 years old,” the complaint quoted Napoli as saying. “My curiosity got the best of me … I should not have done it.”
Napoli said he searched for the images of the children online and downloaded them, court documents allege. He said he used the search terms “child porn,” “jail bait” and “young,” according to the criminal complaint.
“I never chatted with any minors,” Napoli allegedly added. “I was at home or at a park near my house when I downloaded the images.”
As part of the conditions of that plea agreement, Napoli had to register with the state as a sex offender, avoid any further arrests and comply with other conditions of his probation.