Fargo, Cass County (trfnews.i234.me) — A Fargo man was sentenced after a felony plea.
Ivan Mercado-Massini, 35, appeared in Cass County District Court on Jan. 20. Judge Reid Brady imposed a five-year prison sentence. The court ordered six months in jail. The rest of the sentence was suspended.
Court filings show Mercado-Massini pleaded guilty to one felony count. The charge involves possession of child sexual abuse material. A second felony count was dismissed on motion of the state.
Case timeline
The case was filed in November 2023. Mercado-Massini first pleaded not guilty in April 2025. He later changed his plea in November 2025. The guilty plea ended the case without a trial.
Investigation
Court documents say the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation received tips. The tips came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tips were generated between November 2023 and July 2024. Records linked the activity to a phone number. They also tied it to internet service at a Fargo address.
Investigators focused on a home on 31st Avenue South. On Oct. 28, 2024, agents served a search warrant there. Investigators collected electronic items during the search.
The tips referenced about 172 files, court documents say. The documents describe the files as child sexual abuse material.
Sentence terms
The judge ordered Mercado-Massini to serve six months in the Cass County jail. After release, he must complete 18 months of supervised probation.
The remaining prison time is suspended under the judgment. The suspension depends on probation compliance.
The court also ordered sex offender registration. Internet use is barred without probation approval. The court gave him 18 days of credit for time served.
External resources
- NCMEC CyberTipline
- North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation
- North Dakota Courts
- North Dakota Sex Offender Registry
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.