By Shereen Siewert
A 40-year-old Rib Mountain man who exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos with underage girls on social media will spend at least three years in prison, after a sentencing hearing in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Gregori Martinez was charged Nov. 6 with three felony charges of possessing child pornography, the result of an investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
As part of a plea agreement, Martinez was ultimately convicted on one of the three counts, with two counts dismissed and read into the record at sentencing.
According to court documents the national center’s tip led police to a South Fifth Avenue home in Wausau, where Martinez was a former renter. The landlord allowed police access to the now-vacant apartment, where investigators matched the room’s layout and rug to photos of Martinez, at least one of which allegedly contained an image of his genitals.
From there, police located Martinez at his new apartment on Eagle Avenue in Rib Mountain, where they searched his home and seized his cell phone.
The girls depicted in the images and videos that surfaced in Martinez’ possession appear to be between 11 and 16 years old, according to court documents.
At sentencing, Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobsen ordered Martinez to spend five years on extended supervision following his release from prison and have no contact with anyone younger than 18.
Martinez will also register as a sex offender.
