Illinois man arrested by HSI in Arizona sentenced for attempting to travel to Mexico to have sex with children
TUCSON, Ariz. – A Chicago-area man who pleaded guilty to attempting to travel to Mexico to engage in sex with children has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Tucson.
Asael Rodriguez-Alvarado, 21, of North Chicago, Ill., was sentenced Aug. 10 by U.S. Chief District Judge Raner C. Collins. Rodriguez-Alvarado pleaded guilty March 9 to one felony count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity. Upon completion of his sentence, Rodriguez-Alvarado will be on supervised release for the rest of his life and required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Rodriguez-Alvarado used the internet to negotiate and plan a trip to Mexico seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with children between the ages of 9 and 11. In July 2015, he traveled from Chicago to Arizona for this purpose and was arrested by HSI special agents after purchasing dolls and other gifts for the children at a store in Tucson.
“This sentence should serve as a powerful deterrent to child predators who mistakenly believe they can make international travel arrangements to indulge their perverse desires with impunity,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI in Phoenix. “The sexual exploitation of children is a despicable crime and, as this sentence makes clear, there are serious consequences for those convicted. HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners here in the U.S. and around the world to hold these dangerous sexual predators accountable for their actions.”
The case against Rodriguez-Alvarado was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica L. Seger with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson.
HSI’s participation in this case was part of Operation Predator, an international HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 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 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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