OCALA, Fla. – A Florida man has been arrested 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 following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Gainesville.
Jose Raul Andreu Rodriguez, 22, of Gainesville, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to the complaint, an undercover special agent from HSI posed as a 13-year-old girl on an online social media platform.
Rodriguez contacted the undercover agent’s account. On Nov. 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. Rodriguez was arrested by law enforcement when he traveled to the meet-up location.
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 HSI Gainesville and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP; or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
The HSI Tampa area of responsibility, which includes ten geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the ten largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.
Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa