Rhode Island Man Gets 6 Years In Prison For Sexually Assaulting 13-Year-Old Canadian Girl

KEY POINTS

Herbert Rodas was accused of sending his obscene images to the teenager
The man was in touch with the victim online for several months
He travelled from the U.S. to Canada to engage in sexual activity with the victim

A Rhode Island man, who befriended a teenager online and traveled to Canada to engage in illicit sexual activity with her, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison Wednesday.

Herbert Rodas, 24, of Pawtucket, was in touch with the 13-year-old victim online for several months before traveling to Winnipeg. Rodas was accused of sending obscene images of himself and soliciting sexually explicit photographs from the teenager, a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Rodas’ conduct came to light after the Winnipeg police found he had traveled from the U.S. to Canada in April 2019 to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim.

The Winnipeg Police Service contacted the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations to report the sexual assault of the juvenile, according to the statement.

While entering his guilty plea, Rodas admitted to flying to Canada. He confessed to renting a hotel room in his name, and meeting with the teenager there over the course of three days to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Rodas was arrested in July 2019. Apart from his prison term, he was facing 10 years of federal supervised release, the statement said.

Prior to Rodas' sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams read a letter written by the teen's mother, in which she wrote the teen was displaying signs of emotional upheaval, including suicidal thoughts and unnatural behavior, the Providence Journal reported.

In March 2020, a 24-year-old Utah man was charged for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. The accused, identified as Raymond Jones, met the victim on Snapchat and then the duo agreed to meet in private. Jones drove the teen to his house where he offered her marijuana, which they smoked together before having sex. The teen told the cops the accused gave her "a clear bottle with a clear substance," which she drank and passed out. The unidentified teen said Jones then carried her into a bedroom where he "kept doing it." Jones was charged with felony unlawful sexual activity with a minor.