A Plainview man has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a 10-year-old child, according to an announcement from United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Leandro Rodriquez, Jr., age 44, was indicted in May 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to enticement of a minor. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
Court documents state that in March 2025, the legal guardian of the victim—referred to as “Jane Doe”—reported suspected sexual abuse involving Rodriquez, who was dating Doe’s biological mother. The two children had recently stayed overnight with their mother and Rodriquez at a residence in Plainview.
The guardian found messages on Doe’s phone instructing her where to meet after the guardian left for work. When questioned, Doe said the messages were from Rodriquez. During a law enforcement interview, Doe disclosed that Rodriquez had sex with her during the overnight stay while her younger sister was present. She also revealed that after the abuse, Rodriquez asked her to send him a video of herself engaging in a sexual act because “he taught me how.”
Doe’s younger sister confirmed to law enforcement that she witnessed Rodriquez having sex with Doe while their mother was away from home.
Authorities seized Rodriquez’s cell phone under a search warrant and discovered several sexually explicit images of Doe as well as messages instructing her to leave home and meet him. They also found a video showing Rodriquez and Doe cuddling while Doe told the camera they were “happily married.”
The investigation was conducted by the Plainview Police Department with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at http://www.justice.gov/psc. Information on internet safety education is available at http://www.justice.gov/psc under the “resources” tab.
