Lake County Man Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Entice A 13-Year-Old To Engage In Sexual Activity

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Kahlil Yanier Amilivia Rodriguez (27, Groveland) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Rodriguez faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement and court records, on October 5, 2023, Rodriguez had an online conversation with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Rodriguez graphically described to the fictional child the sexual acts he wanted to perform with her. Rodriguez was arrested when he arrived at a pre-determined location to meet with the minor to engage in the sexual activity. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.