Federal judges in Texas and North Carolina have handed down lengthy prison terms in separate child exploitation cases, with prosecutors highlighting the role of a Justice Department initiative aimed at combating online abuse.
In the Northern District of Texas, Leandro Rodriquez Jr., 44, of Plainview, received a 50-year sentence Thursday for enticement of a minor after sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl identified as “Jane Doe” in the presence of her younger sister.
Court documents show the abuse occurred in March 2025 at a residence where Doe and her sister stayed overnight with their biological mother and Rodriquez, her boyfriend. Doe’s guardian reported suspicions after finding messages on the girl’s phone directing her to meet Rodriquez once the guardian left for work. Doe told investigators that Rodriquez had sex with her while her sister was present and later asked her to send a video of a sexual act, “‘cause he taught me how.”
The younger sister corroborated witnessing the incident while her mother was absent. A search of Rodriguez’s phone uncovered explicit images of Doe, the meeting instructions, and a video of them cuddling, where she described them as “happily married.”
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix imposed the sentence after Rodriquez pleaded guilty in October 2025, following a May indictment. The Plainview Police Department led the probe with help from the FBI’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted.
In a separate case in the same district, Julio Chavez, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was sentenced on February 11 to 45 years — 540 months — for production and receipt of child sex abuse material involving a 12-year-old boy.
Convicted in August 2025, Chavez groomed the victim to send an explicit video and had hundreds of child abuse images and videos on his phone, per court records. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr delivered the term. Chavez could face deportation afterward.
“The defendant exploited a young boy’s innocence and vulnerability,” Raybould said.“I am glad the district court judge sentenced the defendant to over 40 years in federal prison for his heinous crimes. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the most vulnerable and innocent in our North Texas communities are protected from being exploited by sexual predators.”
“The significant sentence imposed on the defendant sends a clear message that crimes against children will not be tolerated. The FBI will continue to work to protect the children in our communities and hold child predators accountable,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock.
The FBI’s Dallas office and Irving Police Department investigated, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Aulbaugh prosecuting.
Separately, in North Carolina’s Western District, Rusty Joseph Whittaker, 44, of Austin, Texas, got 30 years in prison plus 10 years of supervised release for traveling across state lines for sexual activity with a minor, enticement, and producing child pornography. He must register as a sex offender.
A jury convicted Whittaker in September 2025 after a four-day trial. Evidence showed he met the victim on the anonymous platform Antiland, shifted to Snapchat, solicited explicit content, and pressured for an in-person meeting. On May 20, 2023, he drove from Nashville to Charlotte, picked up the minor after her father slept, took her to a hotel, engaged in sexual activity, gave her items of value, and dropped her off to walk home barefoot.
Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. said during sentencing, “This is a case that is very serious. It involves planning and manipulation of a child. The word needs to go out that we won’t put up with this.”
“Predators like Rusty Whittaker are a parent’s worst nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “This defendant traveled across state lines to exploit a child, used technology to conceal his crimes, and inflicted long-lasting trauma on a vulnerable victim. A lengthy sentence ensures that Whittaker will never have the opportunity to harm another child.”
“Whittaker intentionally targeted, groomed, and violated a child for his own sexual gratification. While it is difficult to understand how anyone could do something like this, it is the stark reality of the danger lurking online every day. We must talk to our children to prevent them from being victimized by disgusting predators like Whittaker,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis.
The FBI, assisted by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, investigated; Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes prosecuted.
All three cases fell under Project Safe Childhood, a 2006 Justice Department program led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section that combines federal, state, and local efforts to apprehend and prosecute child exploiters online and aid victims.
