Jorge Mercado, Failure To Register As Sex Offender, Rhode Island 2012

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Jorge Mercado, a convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved from Florida to Rhode Island in January 2012.

U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith handed down the maximum sentence under the advisory federal sentencing guidelines. Mercado, 43, will also serve five years of supervised release following the completion of his prison term.

Mercado pleaded guilty on January 9, 2013, to violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He was obligated to register under SORNA and keep his registration up-to-date, including any change of address in another state or jurisdiction.

According to information presented to the court, in January 2002, Mercado pleaded guilty in Massachusetts state court to assaulting a child 14 or older. He appropriately registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement between July 2007 and August 2011, 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.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (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. Registered sex offenders are required 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.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is committed to protecting the community from those who seek to harm it. This case is a reminder of the importance of registering as a sex offender and keeping that registration up-to-date.

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