A Guatemala man residing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and took place on January 27, 2025, with U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange presiding.

Jorge Manuel Rodriguez-Marroquin, aged 48, received the mandatory minimum sentence and will be subject to five years of supervised release following his prison term. He is also required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and must register as a sex offender upon his release.

Rodriguez-Marroquin was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 and pleaded guilty on November 12, 2024. His conviction arose from an incident on March 9, 2024, when he engaged in an online conversation via Facebook with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. He attempted to entice her into meeting for sexual activity; however, the individual was actually an undercover law enforcement agent. Rodriguez-Marroquin was arrested upon arriving at the designated meeting location.

The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative coordinates resources from federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuting the case. Following his sentencing, Rodriguez-Marroquin was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.