Portland man receives 20-year sentence for sexually abusing children on Snapchat

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former Portland resident was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday after he sexually abused multiple children, including recording and photographing the abuse and posting the content to Snapchat.

On Oct. 5, 2023, Rolando Benitez, 30, pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information charging him with two counts of sexually exploiting children, and one count of possessing child pornography.

Benitez will spend the next 240 months in prison.

Officials say that Benitez used the Snapchat page to “entice other children to produce and share sexually explicit images of themselves.”

According to court documents, Benitez pretended to be a 15-year-old boy named Marcos in the summer of 2019 and sexually abused a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old.

“On at least one occasion, Benitez sexually abused both minor victims together,” authorities said. “Benitez only allowed girls to join and view his private Snapchat stories, and only after the girls complied with his ‘rules’ by sending him photos of their exposed bodies. He further required some of the girls to write and photograph his online alias on their bodies,” officials said.

Officials opened an investigation after one of Benitez’s victims sub,itted a tip National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline with the message “Please stop this man.” Benitez was arrested in Auburn, Wash. weeks later for sexually abusing a 12-year-old.

In addition to Tuesday’s sentencing, Benitez was also sentenced on July 7, 2023, in King County to more than 11 years in state prison and a life term of supervised release for the abuse of the 12-year-old. Benitez’s federal and state sentences will run concurrently.

“Benitez’s federal plea agreement is part of a global resolution between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office,” authorities said.