A Hudson County man caught with over 20 child pornography videos on his phone shortly after he applied for and received his U.S. citizenship was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years and one month in prison, officials said.
Ramy Mercado, 29, of Jersey City, previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of naturalization fraud, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey.
From June 2022 to October 2022, Mercado used his cellphone to send more than 20 video files depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including infants or toddlers, federal prosecutors said.
He also used his phone to express his desire to have sexual encounters with young children, investigators said.
During this time, Mercado applied for and obtained U.S. citizenship and stated under penalty of perjury that since his citizenship interview, he had not committed any crime or offense for which he had not been arrested, the office said.
Mercado became a naturalized U.S. citizen on June 22, 2023.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
