SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Samuel Vega-Rodríguez, 42, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted production of child pornography, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The arrest follows an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.
According to the indictment, from May to September 2022, Samuel Vega-Rodríguez knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a 13-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity. The man was arrested at his residence without incident on April 6.
According to court documents, the defendant began conversations via social media with the minor victim. In said conversations, the defendants talked about sex and asked for naked photos and videos of the minor victim. In May 2022, the defendant and the minor agreed to meet for a sexual encounter. When the minor victim saw Vega-Hernández and realized that the defendant was older than the male depicted in his social media accounts, the female minor left the meeting point running, after she punched him and kicked him when he attempted to stop her from leaving.
“We want to remind the community that the U.S. Attorney’s Office along with our federal, state and local partners, are committed to protecting children from these types of criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “If you are a victim or know of another victim of this individual, please come forward; contact the authorities so we can protect you and others from these crimes.”
“The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by HSI brings together local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with the common goal of investigating and arresting individuals that prey on our children,” said Rebecca C. González, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Juan.
Today, Vega-Rodríguez had his arraignment and bail hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López-Soler and was ordered to remain at the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting the outcome of his case.
If convicted, Vega-Rodríguez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years up to life for the coercion and enticement charge, and a minimum of 15 years up to 30 years in prison for the production of child exploitation material charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant United States Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora, of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is in charge of the prosecution of this case.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS and a vital U.S. asset in combatting transnational crimes and threats. One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission. HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse and help make the internet a safer place for children.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
