Sex Offender Sentenced To 37 Months In Federal Prison For Failing To Register In R.I.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Jorge Mercado, 43, a convicted sex offender, was sentenced today to 37 months in federal prison, the maximum sentence under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines, for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved from Florida to Rhode Island in January 2012, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and United States Marshal Jamie A. Hainsworth.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith also ordered Mercado to serve 5 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. Mercado pleaded guilty on January 9, 2013, to violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

According to information presented to the court, in January 2002, Mercado pleaded guilty in Massachusetts state court to assaulting a child 14 or older. Based on the conviction, Mercado was obligated to register under SORNA and to keep his registration up-to-date, including any change of address in another state or jurisdiction.

According to information presented to the court, between July 2007 and August 2011, Mercado appropriately registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, but failed to register with Rhode Island law enforcement when he moved to Rhode Island in January 2012. Mercado was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Sex Offender Task Force and Narragansett Police in November 2012.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.

SORNA provides a comprehensive set of federal standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States through the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. Additionally, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school, and to make periodic in-person appearances to verify and update their registration information.

Contact: 401-709-5357
USARI.Media@usdoj.gov