Former chief of staff to Lawrence mayor indicted on possession of child pornography charges

Martes-Rosario was arrested by State Police at his home in February, the Globe reported . He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was released on conditions that he stay off the Internet, keep away from children except his own son, and surrender his passport.
Jhovanny Martes-Rosario, 48, faces one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography, the U.S attorney’s office said in a statement.
The former chief of staff for the Lawrence mayor has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly possessing child pornography, the U.S attorney’s office said Friday.
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Troopers searched his electronic devices under a search warrant and allegedly located dozens of images of child pornography on the suspect’s iPad, the Globe reported.
Martes-Rosario was fired by Lawrence Mayor Brian A. De Peña after his arrest, the Globe reported.
Martes-Rosario was released again on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Friday, the statement said. Martes-Rosario faces 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 if convicted of possession of child pornography.
He also faces 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 if convicted of transportation of child pornography, the statement said.
The case against Martes-Rosario was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the statement said. The project was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.