U.S. Attorney Charges Rockland County Man With Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced the filing of a Complaint charging ALBER RODRIGEZ with sexual exploitation of a minor. RODRIGUEZ was arrested yesterday, presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court, and detained.

"As alleged, Alber Rodriguez sexually abused a 12-year-old child and recorded that abuse-conduct that is as cruel as it is criminal," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "This Office has zero tolerance for those who prey on children. Protecting New Yorkers, especially our youngest and most vulnerable, is our priority. If you exploit a child in this District, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. We will not stop until those who endanger our children are taken off our streets and held fully accountable."

As alleged in the Complaint:[1]

On or about April 11, 2026, an individual ("Witness-1") reported to the Ramapo Police Department that Witness-1 had observed sexually explicit images of a minor ("Victim-1") on a cellphone belonging to RODRIGUEZ.

The images discovered by Witness-1 appeared in the photo gallery of RODRIGUEZ's cellphone. The images appeared consecutively (one after another) in the photo gallery and were taken at a location in Rockland County, New York, on or about September 10, 2024, and September 13, 2024, when Victim-1 was 12 years old.

Victim-1, who is now 13 years old, disclosed that RODRIGUEZ sexually abused Victim-1 on numerous occasions over the past two years, and on at least one occasion when Victim-1 was in Rockland County, RODRIGUEZ took photos of Victim-1 naked.

On about April 11, 2026, RODRIGUEZ was arrested and charged in the Justice Court Village of Montebello, in Rockland County with Course of Sexual Conduct against a Child in the 1st Degree, Sexual Abuse, Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child, and Sexual Misconduct, among other charges.

There may be other victims. If you have information to report, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.

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RODRIGUEZ, 48, of Montebello, New York, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ramapo Police Department, the Rockland County Sheriff's Office, and the Rockland County District Attorney's Office in connection with this investigation.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Briggs and Marcia S. Cohen are in charge of the prosecution.