FLORIDA MAN CHARGED IN INDICTMENT

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 17, 2008, HERIBERTO TORRES-RODRIGUEZ, age 49, of Opa-Loka, Florida, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois in a two count indictment charging him with Traveling in Interstate Commerce for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct (Count 1), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b) and Transporting a Minor in Interstate Commerce with the Intent of Engaging in Sexual Activity with that Minor (Count 2), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(a). Count 1 carries a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment. Count 2 carries a maximum penalty of not less than ten years up to life imprisonment.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

Pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 3509, which provides privacy rights to child crime victims, the identity of the minor child in this case is protected from public disclosure.

TORRES-RODRIGUEZ was taken into custody in Florida on May 23, 2008. He is expected to be returned to the Southern District of Illinois for further proceedings on these charges.

The case was investigated by the Belleville Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the Opa-Loka Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Miami, FL Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Fairview Heights, IL Office, with the assistance of the United States Attorney’s Office-Southern District of Florida.

The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Suzanne M. Garrison and Nicole E. Gorovsky.