Wednesday, in the Northern District of New York, United States District Judge David N. Hurd sentenced Edward Mercado, 35, of Los Angeles, California to 7 years in federal prison. Additionally, Judge Hurd sentenced Mercado to a 15 year term of supervised release, which will start after Mercado is released from prison, and ordered him to pay a $3,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Mercado will also be required to register as a sex offender.
From May 2021 through June 2021 Mercado engaged in numerous telephone conversations and exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover officer posing as the mother of 10-year-old girl.
In these telephone calls and text messages, Mercado expressed a desire to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the child.
June 3, 2021, Mercado traveled from California to Syracuse, New York to meet with the child and engage in sexual conduct with her at a location in the Ithaca area.
Upon his arrival in Syracuse Mercado was taken into custody at the Syracuse airport and has been in custody since that date.
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