Tarrant County Man Sentenced for Attempting to Coerce and Entice a Child

PLANO, Texas – A 48-year-old Saginaw, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for  attempted child coercion and enticement in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox and FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno today.

               Adam Rene Rodriguez was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 18, 2019, of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan. 

               According to information presented at trial, on May 3, 2019, Rodriguez was arrested by members of the FBI Dallas Field Office and the Plano Police Department when he traveled to Plano to engage in sex acts with an individual he believed to be a 14-year old child. 

               During the 4-day trial, jurors heard that an undercover agent entered a sexually-oriented messaging group that was run by Rodriguez.  Between April 10, 2019 and May 3, 2019, Rodriguez engaged in continuing messages with the undercover persona, even after being  repeatedly advised of the persona's age.  In the messages, Rodriguez (as username "Texasarod") continued to ask for photos of the child, sent the child sexually explicit material, and offered to "train" the child to engage in various sex acts.  Evidence presented to the jury also included messages in which Rodriguez instructed the child on how to conceal her online activities and avoid detection by her parents.  The exchanges continued until May 3, 2019.  On that day, Rodriguez drove to a pre-arranged meeting place with condoms in order to engage in illegal sex acts with the child.  Rodriguez testified on his own behalf, contending that he believed that he was communicating with an adult who was role playing or fantasizing about pretending to be a child.

               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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.              

               This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Plano Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Miller and Lesley Brooks.