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Man Convicted of Child Sex Abuse, Child Pornography
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Man Convicted of Child Sex Abuse, Child Pornography

A 42-year-old Washington, D.C. man has been convicted of producing child pornography and first-degree child sexual abuse. Rolando de la Rocha pleaded guilty to the charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

De la Rocha was the former boyfriend of the girl’s mother and had lived with the family in Northwest Washington until January 2014. In May of 2015, the girl’s mother called the Metropolitan Police Department to report that she had discovered a recording in which de la Rocha is seen sexually assaulting her child.

According to court documents, de la Rocha admitted to police that he produced the recordings and set up an iPad to film the sexual acts in the girl’s room without her knowledge. The girl, who was 12 or 13 at the time, told police about several incidents that took place between 2013.

The girl expressed a fear of talking to police but ultimately agreed to an interview about de la Rocha’s conduct. De la Rocha has been in custody since his arrest on May 29, 2015.

De la Rocha faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years for the production of child pornography. He also faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison for the first-degree child sexual abuse charge. Additionally, de la Rocha will be required to register as a sex offender for at least 25 years.

The investigation was led by the Metropolitan Police Department, including officers and detectives from the Third District and the Youth Investigations Division. The FBI’s Washington Field Office also assisted in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld is prosecuting the case. De la Rocha is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2015.

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