{"id":14968,"date":"2026-01-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=14968"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:20:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:20:58","slug":"fargo-5-year-term-in-child-sex-abuse-material-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/fargo-5-year-term-in-child-sex-abuse-material-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Fargo: 5-Year Term in Child Sex Abuse Material Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fargo, Cass County (trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2014 A Fargo man was sentenced after a felony plea.<\/p>\n

Ivan Mercado-Massini<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Case timeline<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Ivan
Ivan Mercado-Massini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Investigation<\/h2>\n

Court documents say the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation received tips. The tips came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The tips referenced about 172 files, court documents say. The documents describe the files as child sexual abuse material.<\/p>\n

Sentence terms<\/h2>\n

The judge ordered Mercado-Massini to serve six months in the Cass County jail. After release, he must complete 18 months of supervised probation.<\/p>\n

The remaining prison time is suspended under the judgment. The suspension depends on probation compliance.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

External resources<\/h2>\n