In September 2022, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office was notified that an adult man had been communicating with a Sangamon County-area minor child using an online platform. The adult man distributed the minor’s nude images on social media. It was also reported he had traveled from out of state to meet with the minor for sexual acts.

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office – Investigations Division opened an investigation and after gathering digital evidence, detectives identified the suspect as 24-year-old, Matthew M. Rodriguez of Sylmar, California. Evidence showed he traveled from the State of California to Sangamon County to meet with the minor. After completing an extensive investigation, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office transferred the case to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) due to the federal offense of crossing state lines to meet a minor.

On April 3 Rodriguez was arrested at a residence in Springfield and charged with the following:

• Transportation of Minors (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2423(a) and (b))

• Enticement of a minor (Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b))

• Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470))

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office thanked Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office – Central District of Illinois for their assistance.