Somerset County Resident Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

TRENTON, N.J. – A Somerset County, New Jersey, resident was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Marcevan Manasse, 29, Somerville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charging one count of distribution of child pornography. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From Sept. 20, 2020, through Nov. 22, 2020, Manasse distributed material containing images and video files of child sexual abuse, via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers.  Law enforcement conducted an undercover online session to access the P2P program and to download five video files and eleven images containing child pornography from an IP address assigned to an internet service provider account associated with Manasse’s residence.  These files included multiple visual depictions of pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual acts with adults.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Manasse to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.  He also thanked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office for its assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.