Press Release
Omaha Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking a Minor and Production of Child Pornography
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Rolando E. Midder, 43, was found guilty on June 9, 2023, following a four-day jury trial in federal court for Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Producing Child Pornography. Chief United States District Judge Robert Rossiter scheduled Midder’s sentencing for September 1, 2023, at 2p.m. Midder faces up to life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of fifteen years.
The evidence at trial showed that Midder began living with a minor female in February of 2022. Midder advertised the minor girl as being available for commercial sex acts, communicated with individuals who expressed interest in the postings, and coordinated days, times, and locations for the commercial sex acts to occur. These advertisements continued until Midder’s arrest on June 27, 2022. After being recovered by law enforcement, the minor female was observed to be extremely malnourished and had numerous bruises, burns, and scars on her. She expressed fear that Midder would kill her if he learned she had spoken with law enforcement. Upon Midder’s arrest, a search warrant for his phone was obtained. Law enforcement located videos he had filmed, showing himself forcing the minor to engage in a sex act with him.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the FBI Omaha’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Contact
Michael Norris – Criminal Chief, (402) 661-3700
Updated June 13, 2023
Topic
Project Safe Childhood