Cleveland police officer is found with child sex-abuse videos at MIA, feds say
A veteran Cleveland police officer was stopped at Miami International Airport and caught with child sexual-abuse material on his cellphone, federal authorities say.
Rafael Rodriguez, 52, is facing a charge of transportation and possession of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors, federal court records show.
Late Tuesday morning, Rodriguez flew into Miami International Airport from Bogota, Colombia, when he was randomly selected for a more rigorous inspection by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, a criminal complaint read.
When the officer checked his iPhone, the officer found the child sex-abuse videos on his Telegram account, a messaging platform. The victims in the videos were prepubescent girls, the complaint read.
Rodriguez initially agreed to an interview with federal agents and told them he was a Cleveland police officer, authorities said. However, when asked about the videos, he invoked his right to be silent.
Cleveland 19 News reported Rodriguez was hired by the Cleveland Division of Police in December 2001 and most recently served in the Airport Unit.
It’s unclear if Rodriguez is still in jail.
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