Hampton Man Indicted for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

CONCORD - Hampton man Jamie Melendez, age 37, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury this week on one count of failure to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces. Melendez will appear in federal court in Concord on a later date.

According to the charging documents, Melendez was required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Despite this, he traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and knowingly failed to register as a sex offender in the State of New Hampshire as required by SORNA.

The charging statute provides a sentence of up to 10 years. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The United States Marshals Service is investigating this case with valuable assistance provided by the Hampton Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather M. Anderson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/Links to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..