ST. CROIX — A federal grand jury on Tuesday returned a four-count indictment against Nicholas Mena, 34, charging him with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced on Wednesday.
Mena, who was arrested on a criminal complaint on April 10, 2015, has been detained pending trial. His arraignment is scheduled for June 4, 2015.
If convicted of production of child pornography, Mena faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years, plus a $250,000 fine; if convicted of receipt of child pornography, Mena faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years, plus a $250,000 fine; and if convicted of possession of child pornography, Mena faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Attorney Sharpe, however, reminded the public that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
The indictment is the result of investigative work by the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rami. S. Badawy.
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