Idaho man sentenced to 25 years on child pornography charges
HSI investigation resulted in identification, rescue of 3 minor children
POCATELLO, Idaho – A Rupert man was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison followed by 15 years supervised release for producing child pornography, as a result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Erik Rodriguez, 25, pleaded guilty Aug. 24 and, according to court documents, admitted to possessing and producing child pornography. HSI special agents were alerted to Rodriguez’s crimes after downloading a sexually exploitative video of a minor from him in April 2015.
A federal search warrant executed in October 2015 at Rodriguez’s home revealed numerous computers and electronic devices used to view and store child pornography. HSI special agents uncovered 133 images and 302 videos of child sexual abuse material on Rodriguez’s devices, in addition to the sexually explicit images he produces of a girl under 10 years old.
“A comprehensive investigation by the HSI Idaho Falls child exploitation group resulted in the identification and rescue of three minor children who’d been subject to unimaginable treatment by an adult,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Our aggressive efforts to detect, disrupt, and ultimately halt the actions of child predators will continue as we strive to protect the innocent children who fall victim to these crimes.”
The charges in this case are a product of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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