A dark secret has been exposed in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as Juan C. Rodriguez, 36, admitted to possessing child pornography in a federal court hearing.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez downloaded child pornography between June 6, 2013, and August 22, 2013, using a peer-to-peer network. The illicit materials were discovered during a forensic examination of his computer and related media.
Rodriguez was arrested on April 23, 2014, by the FBI, and was remanded into custody after entering his guilty plea. He remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Rodriguez will be sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, with assistance from the Denver office of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander B. Shapiro as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood is a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. The initiative was launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to identify and rescue victims of child sex crimes.
The case was also brought as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force’s mission to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Rodriguez’s guilty plea is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of child sex crimes and the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies to combat this epidemic. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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