Former Portland resident, Rolando Daniel Benitez, 30, has been sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison for his heinous conduct involving the sexual abuse of multiple children. The disturbing case, which involved Benitez videotaping the abuse and distributing the content on social media, culminated in a prosecution that has put an end to his gruesome exploitation of minors.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, Benitez masqueraded as a 15-year-old named “Marcos” to prey on children. During July and August of 2019, he sexually abused two minors, ages 14 and 17, and forced these young victims to become subjects of his sexual violence on camera. The abuse didn't stop there, as he molded this torment into a private Snapchat story to lure more innocent children into his web of exploitation.
Details emerged that Benitez manipulated girls into joining and viewing his Snapchat stories, enforcing his sick “rules” that they send photos of themselves exposed. He marked his victims with his alias “Marcos” written on their bodies, an act of possession captured in the images he shared with an indifferent online abyss.
The inquiry into Benitez's crimes was sparked by the courageous report of one of his child victims to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline. The report included Benitez’s full name and phone number, a plea for help that led to his subsequent arrest in Auburn, Washington. In what became a global resolution between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Benitez pleaded guilty last October to multiple counts of sexual exploitation and possessing child pornography, as part of a plea deal. His state and federal sentences will be served concurrently.
This case was brought to light thanks to the joint efforts of the Portland Police Bureau, the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Auburn Police Department. To confront the online and physical exploitation of children, the public is encouraged to report any related information to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
