BOSTON — The former chief of staff to the mayor of Lawrence who previously worked as a science teacher has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, the U.S. Attorney said Monday.
Jhovanny Martes-Rosario, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 10.
Martes-Rosario was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2023 following his arrest in February 2023.
Investigators earlier found dozens of images of child pornography on Martes-Rosario’ iPad while executing a search warrant on electronic devices in Martes-Rosario’s home, state police said in February 2023.
Police obtained the search warrant after the State Police Cyber Crime Unit received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about images of child pornography uploaded from an IP address associated with Martes-Rosario.
Levy said investigators identified Martes-Rosario as the likely user of Yahoo and Apple accounts containing child pornography.
Martes-Rosario admitted that he was the owner of the email addresses and that he searched for and downloaded child pornography to his personal iPad and later sent it to his email address for storage, Levy said.
He also admitted he had been searching for and storing child pornography “for years,” Levy said.
Martes-Rosario, a father of three, previously worked as a science teacher for Lawrence Public Schools, as a legislative aide at the State House, and also volunteered with AmeriCorps, according to biographical information provided on a political flier posted on Facebook when Martes-Rosario previously ran for a City Council seat.
“JHOVANNY MARTES is running for City Council District E because as a Senior Legislative Aide at the State House, and a former teacher at the Lawrence Public Schools, he firmly believes he is ready to represent the district with devotion and commitment,” the Facebook post read.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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