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Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas, a 35-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, attempted to meet a minor for sex in McAllen, Texas. Over the course of three days, he communicated with someone he believed to be a 16-year-old girl, expressing his desire to have sex with her and sending explicit images. Rodriguez-Rodas made plans to meet the girl at a local park and intended to take her back to his house for sex. Law enforcement took him into custody upon his arrival.
Rodriguez-Rodas pleaded guilty to the crime and will be sentenced on October 6 by Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, as well as a possible $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Edinburg Police Department. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Rodriguez-Rodas will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. His guilty plea marks a significant victory for law enforcement in the fight against child sexual exploitation.
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