Illegal alien admits attempting to meet minor for sex

McALLEN, Texas - A 35-year-old illegal alien from Honduras living in Donna has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice or coerce a minor into engaging in sexual activity.

Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas had been communicating with someone he believed to be a 16-year-old girl over the course of three days. During those conversations, Rodriguez-Rodas said he wanted to have sex with her and sent her a picture of two adults engaging in sexual activity to demonstrate what he wanted.

Eventually, Rodriguez-Rodas made plans to meet up with her at a local park and intended to take her back to his house to have sex.

Law enforcement took him into custody upon his arrival.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will impose sentencing Oct. 6. At that time, Rodriguez-Rodas faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Edinburg Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarina S. DiPiazza and M. Alexis Garcia are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ's PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.