Abilene Man Gets 50 Years for Child Sexual Abuse Material

ABILENE, TX — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced that Kaleb Marc Rodriquez, a 27-year-old Abilene man who produced and transported child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison on July 22. 

According to court documents:

On Sept. 22, 2024, Jane Doe 1’s grandmother had a stroke, so her mother left Doe and her two siblings in Rodriquez’s care at her apartment. Doe’s mother also said she lent her phone to Rodriquez at that time. 

On Feb. 17, 2025, Doe’s mother noticed that Rodriguez was logged into his Gmail account on her phone. She looked in Rodriquez’s account and saw that he had emailed himself a sexually explicit video of Doe, who was 14 years old at the time, the day he was alone with her at the apartment. Doe’s mother contacted the Abilene Police Department to report the sexual assault of a child.

APD officers responded and found a Snapchat video, which was produced at Doe’s apartment in Abilene. Based on a computer forensic analysis, Rodriguez used Doe’s mother’s cellular telephone and Snapchat account to create child pornography of the minor victim and then emailed that video to himself so he could access it from other electronic devices. During the 19-second sexually explicit video of Doe, APD detectives were able to identify Rodriquez’s hand because he had distinctive tattoos on them. 

During an interview with APD, Rodriquez admitted that he knew Doe and that he lived with Doe’s family for about five to six months before the interview. Rodriquez admitted that he knew Doe was 14 because he went to her birthday party. Rodriquez recalled the stroke in September 2024 and that he may have been with Doe then. 

The APD detective asked, “What if I told you that I saw your hands in a video with [Doe]?” Rodriquez replied, “I’d probably believe you.” The detective asked, “What if I told you the videos showed [Doe’s] anus and vagina?” Rodriquez responded, “Oh, my God. That, I have no clue. But I’d probably believe you because I was on drugs.” 

The APD detective later told Rodriquez that he was going to jail. Rodriquez asked the detective to tell [Doe’s] family that he was sorry.

At the sentencing hearing, one of the victims stated, “I am glad that I don’t have to see you anymore. Knowing I am safe from being hurt by you again gives me some peace.”

A grand jury indicted Rodriguez in January 2026. He pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and transportation of child pornography in March 2026. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix sentenced him to 600 months in federal prison. 

“I can think of few things more reprehensible than an individual entrusted with the care and well-being of a minor, who then takes advantage of a tragedy to betray that trust and horrifically violate that child in his care,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This sentence affirms my office’s commitment to protecting children and prosecuting these vile criminals. I am extremely grateful to our law enforcement partners and the prosecutorial team for ensuring this predator can never again sexually exploit children in North Texas.”

Homeland Security Investigations and the Abilene Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag, West Texas Branch Chief, prosecuted the case.

“Protecting children from exploitation is a core mission for HSI. This sentence demonstrates that those who commit these crimes will be held fully accountable, said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “We are grateful for the dedicated efforts of the Abilene Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in ensuring that this offender will no longer pose a threat to vulnerable children. HSI will continue to work tirelessly to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute those who prey on minors, and to support victims and their families throughout the process.”

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation and brought this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.