Defendant Charged With Attempted Enticement Of 12-Year-Old And 9-Year-Old Girls

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss stated:  “Steve Rosado allegedly attempted to harm society’s most vulnerable – trying to engage in sexual activity with two young children, whom he believed to be 12 and 9 years old – even after he had been convicted of sex offenses in the past and required to register as a sex offender.  I thank the FBI and the NYPD for their work in investigating and arresting Rosado before he could harm any more victims.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “As alleged, Mr. Rosado knew exactly what he was doing when he arranged to have sex with two children, one of whom he believed was only 9 years old.  As a convicted sex offender, he knew the risk and allegedly took it anyway.  He is now in federal custody and facing prosecution.  It’s not easy to investigate sexual predators.  The agents, detectives, and analysts who constitute the FBI/NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force do this work each and every day hoping to stop the next offender from harming another child.”           

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said:  “These charges, by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York reflect our continuing commitment to keep those would who prey on children from stalking our streets.  I praise our detectives and federal partners for their work in fighting on behalf of society’s most vulnerable individuals.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint charging ROSADO:[1]

On or about November 29, 2020, an undercover FBI agent (“UC-1”), posing as the mother of a 12-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl, initiated a series of conversations on an instant messaging platform with an individual identified to be ROSADO.  Thereafter, UC-1 and ROSADO had numerous communications via the instant messaging platform, text message, and telephone call.

In these conversations, ROSADO repeatedly expressed, in graphic and unambiguous terms, his desire to engage in sexual activity with both children – including both oral and vaginal sex.  To help alleviate any concerns UC-1 might have regarding ROSADO having sexual relations with her young children, ROSADO provided UC-1 with his recent test results for COVID-19 and HIV, and he discussed what he and UC-1 could do if he were to impregnate one of the children.

  UC-1 and ROSADO arranged to meet at a bar in Manhattan on the evening of December 7, 2020, with the understanding that they would return to UC-1’s apartment afterward and ROSADO would then engage in sexual activity with the children.  On the evening in question, ROSADO met UC-1 at the agreed-upon location.  After the two of them left the bar and began walking toward UC-1’s purported apartment, law enforcement arrested ROSADO.  ROSADO was in possession of a backpack containing, among other things, a toothbrush, a change of clothes, and lubricant.

*                *                *

ROSADO is charged with one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2422(b) and 2, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; and one count of committing the aforementioned offense while being required to register as a sex offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A, which carries a mandatory sentence of an additional 10 years in prison.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Bodansky is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.