Hudson County Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Child Pornography and Naturalization Fraud

Jersey City Resident Ramy Mercado Receives 121-Month Prison Term

NEWARK, N.J. – Ramy Mercado, a 29-year-old from Jersey City, has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for his involvement in child pornography and committing naturalization fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. The sentencing was carried out by Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court today.

Mercado had earlier pled guilty to charges including one count of possession of child pornography and one count of naturalization fraud. The charges were based on findings that from June 2022 to October 2022, Mercado transmitted over 20 video files using his cell phone that depicted the sexual abuse of minors, some as young as infants or toddlers. He also expressed desires for sexual encounters with young children via the same device.

Further compounding his legal troubles, during his application process for U.S. citizenship, Mercado falsely declared under oath that he had not committed any crimes since his citizenship interview. Despite this declaration, he was actively in possession of child pornography. Mercado was granted U.S. citizenship on June 22, 2023.

In addition to his prison sentence, Mercado is subject to 15 years of supervised release following his incarceration.

The investigation that led to Mercado’s conviction was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the acting direction of Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker. The prosecution was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht from the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.