Former suburban Chicago resident extradited, charged with producing child pornography

CHICAGO — A former Rosemont, Illinois, resident was indicted Thursday on federal child pornography charges for allegedly exploiting a minor to produce sexually explicit images.

U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., Northern District of Illinois, and Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago announced the indictment. U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Marshals Service provided substantial assistance.

Marcos German Mendez, 32, is charged with: two counts of using a minor to produce child pornography; one count of transporting child pornography; and, one count of possession of child pornography on his cell phone.

The indictment was returned in 2016 in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Mendez was arrested in July of last year in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, and recently extradited to Chicago.

He made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings.

Mendez pleaded not guilty to the charges and will remain in custody pending a detention hearing on Feb. 3, 2020.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.

The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Misty N. Wright, Northern District of Illinois, represented the government.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator , an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 25,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2019, more than 3,500 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.