Stockton Special Education Teacher Charged with Transporting 16-Year-Old Girl from Oregon to California to Engage in Criminal Sexual Conduct

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Rodney Flucas, 49, of Stockton, charging him with transportation of a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to the indictment and a criminal complaint, Flucas is licensed in the states of Georgia, Oregon, and California to teach deaf and hard-of-hearing students. On March 22, 2017, his California license was suspended.

In 2014, Flucas moved himself and numerous family members from Georgia to Klamath Falls, Oregon. According to the criminal complaint, once in Oregon, Flucas allegedly began sexually abusing a 15-year-old minor. Eventually, in 2015, Flucas moved to Stockton, California, and took the then 16-year-old victim there too, and allegedly continued to sexually abuse her in California.

This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI, the Stockton Police Department and the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nirav Desai and Jeremy Kelley are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Flucas faces a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.