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A former aide to the Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pleaded guilty Wednesday to child porn charges pertaining to his relations with a 16-year-old boy, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The ex-aide to the Suarez, 51-year-old Rene Pedrosa, made the plea at a Miami federal courthouse, according to the United States District Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. Pedrosa formerly served as the communications director for Mayor Suarez, Local 10 reported.
Former City of Miami Aide Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crime
Today, Rene Pedrosa, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving child pornography in 2019 from a 16-year-old boy.@FBIMiamiFL investigated the case, with assistance from @MiamiPD.https://t.co/DQyKfrZeNA— US Attorney SDFL (@SDFLnews) May 24, 2023
Pedrosa reportedly first came into contact with the minor on Instagram, leveraging his political position to “set up a meeting at City Hall to discuss web design,” the outlet noted. (RELATED: Over A Dozen Mayors Have Been Arrested For Child Sex Offenses Over The Past Two Years)
At that meeting, Pedrosa reportedly proceeded to grab the victim’s hand and “placed it on … (his) erect penis,” the outlet reported. The attorney for the victim’s family pointed out that the fact that this meeting occurred at City Hall “makes these crimes even more terrifying and horrendous,” according to a 2020 Local 10 report. The report also noted that Pedrosa allegedly forcefully grabbed the victim’s behind after kissing him.
The two reportedly engaged in sexting, the outlet noted. Police accused Pedrosa of sending a nude picture to the teenager with sexually suggestive messages to match. “I am dying to sleep with you,” one message reportedly read, according to the outlet. “I’m home by myself, you can come.”
The boy responded to alleged requests by Pedrosa to join him in a bathtub by saying, “Rene, I can’t do that,” Local 10 reported. (RELATED: Historian Calls Pedophilia ‘Intergenerational Sex,’ Refuses To Describe Rape Of 10-Year-Old Boy As ‘Abuse’)
Federal authorities familiar with the case confirmed that the boy sent out explicit images, according to Local 10. Pedrosa “knowingly received sexually explicit images of the boy,” according to the District Attorney.
After the allegations came to light in 2020, Pedrosa resigned from his role, Local 10 noted. Before his political role, Pedrosa was a Spanish-speaking TV and radio journalist, according to Because Miami.
Rene Pedrosa was a longtime TV and radio reporter, most recently at América TeVé-Channel 41, a Spanish-language television station based in Hialeah Gardens that covers Miami-Dade news. Francis Suarez hired him in 2019 to handle his public communications. https://t.co/XpBclSLIWG pic.twitter.com/776K1Nk60G
— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) May 24, 2023
Pedrosa is set to be sentenced on Aug. 14, facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, Local 10 reported.