Gainesville Man Arrested For Attempting To Meet A 13 Year Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Jose Raul Andreu Rodriguez (22, Gainesville) on a criminal complaint charging him with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. If convicted, Rodriguez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the complaint, an undercover special agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) posed as a 13-year-old girl on an online social media platform. Rodriguez contacted the undercover agent's account. On November 14, 2024, after learning of the girl's age, Rodriguez engaged in a sexually explicit conversation and sent the minor multiple videos of himself masturbating. Rodriguez arranged to meet the minor for sexual activity at a predetermined location in Marion County. When Rodriguez traveled to the location, he was arrested by law enforcement.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.