BENTON, ILL. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.

BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Paducah, Kentucky, man to 121 months’ imprisonment for attempting to entice a minor in southern Illinois to engage in illegal sexual activity.

In October, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts for Robert R. Rodriguez, 41, on one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of soliciting an obscene visual depiction of a minor.

“Those who target children for sex crimes sicken us all. The federal justice system will relentlessly pursue and prosecute these offenders to ensure they face severe consequences for their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.

According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Rodriguez initiated conversation with an undercover federal agent on an online social media platform in May 2023. In the messages, Rodriguez discussed meeting with a purported 9-year-old child to engage in sexual activity and requested child sexual abuse material.

On May 10, 2023, law enforcement arrested Rodriguez in Marion, Illinois, when he tried to meet with the purported 9-year-old child. 

"This sentencing makes one thing clear: the FBI Springfield Field Office is taking decisive action to protect the children of Illinois. We will use every tool at our disposal to stop those who seek to do them harm, and with our partners at the Department of Justice, we will pursue the highest penalties for these crimes."

Following imprisonment, Rodriguez will serve seven years of supervised release.

FBI Springfield Field Office led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Leggans and David Sanders prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.