St. Croix Man Sentenced To Over 19 Years In Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

ST. CROIX — Nicholas Mena (above), 35, of St. Croix, was sentenced to 235 months in prison for production of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced. Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis also sentenced Mena to a term of supervised release for life and ordered him to pay a fine of $1,000 and a special assessment of $100.

On August 25, 2016, Mena pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. According to the plea agreement filed in court, from January 2006 to January 2009 Mena was employed as a volunteer instructor at a youth program in St. Croix. Using computer video games, he enticed minor boys to engage with him in sexually explicit conduct. The enticements were in the form of gifts and money. Mena produced video images of these incidents using laptop computers. A search of a computer seized from his house revealed hundreds of still images and/or video files containing child pornography.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso G. Andrews, Jr.