St. Croix Man Detained On Child Pornography Charges Facing 30 Years In Prison

CROIX – A 34-year-old St. Croix man has been detained on possession of child pornography charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Nicolas Mena was arrested Friday on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Ronald Sharpe said.

Mena appeared Monday in District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Cannon who ordered Mena to be bond until his trial, Sharpe said.

If convicted of all the charges, Mena faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Sharpe said the criminal complaint is only a formal charging document and is not in itself evidence of guilt.

“Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty,” he said.

Mena was advised of his rights before Cannon at the Almeric Christian Courthouse on Friday and had a probable cause hearing Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Sharpe said that Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami S. Badawy is prosecuting the case for the U.S. Department of Justice.

The case is being investigated by U.S Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security, he said.