A Bakersfield man has entered a guilty plea for charges related to the receipt and distribution of child pornography. Roman Rodriguez, 26, acknowledged his involvement in the criminal activity. Rodriguez's admitted offenses involve the use of an iPhone and the internet to receive and distribute explicit material, some of which depicted minors in sexually explicit situations, including a toddler, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The brief period between February 18 and February 22 of last year was when Rodriguez was proven to have engaged in this heinous activity. During this time, he managed to quickly amass over 600 images containing illegal content. This revelation comes as part of a larger initiative to absolutely reduce the online endangerment of children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is handling the prosecution for a case that was unearthed through collaborative investigative efforts by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Bakersfield Police Department.
Rodriguez is now awaiting his sentencing, scheduled for March 31, presuming to receive his judicial reckoning before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. The penalties include a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, with a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, and a possible fine of up to $250,000. The final sentence will be determined by the court, considering any relevant statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The case against Rodriguez is a fragment of a significantly larger picture, Project Safe Childhood, a comprehensive operation established in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. This concerted effort aims to chase down the shadows of child sexual exploitation and abuse that stretch across the country. The initiative bands together the resources of the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. For individuals seeking additional information on Project Safe Childhood, resources and internet-safety education can be found at the official website, as described in the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
