Man gets 60 months in prison for receiving child porn

Glen Ruben Jr., of San Roque, Saipan, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to receiving child porn.

This sentence follows Ruben’s plea of guilty on July 20, 2016. As part of his plea, Ruben admitted to requesting and receiving one or more pictures of a minor engaged in sex, using a mobile device with internet access.

Ruben was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Shawn N. Anderson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, said: “The receipt of child pornography is an unconscionable offense that targets the most vulnerable persons in our communities. Unfortunately, social media has become a common tool for the circulation of such images. The harm to child victims can last a lifetime. The Department of Justice, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, will continue to aggressively pursue those who prey on children through the use of cyber technology.”

Anderson also reminds the public that those who have committed sexual offenses involving children have a duty to register and keep their registration current with the Sex Offender Registry in their jurisdiction, under federal and local law.

“Sex offenders who travel to the Northern Mariana Islands and who reside in the Northern Marianas must inform the CNMI’s Public Sex Offender Registry where they reside, work, or attend school. They must also periodically update their registration information.

“The Public Sex Offender Registry was created to protect the general public and victims, by informing the public of the whereabouts of sex offenders.”

The Public Sex Offender Registry for the CNMI can be found online at https://cnmi.nsopw.gov/.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, a nationwide commitment to aggressively prosecute defendants who engage in the sexual victimization of children and adults, possess, or receive child pornography, and sex offenders who fail to register with the jurisdiction’s Sex Offender Registry.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Benedetto.

The case was heard by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, of the U.S. District Court in the Northern Mariana Islands.