Trigger Warning: Rape

Man Convicted by Jury of Trafficking, Raping Teen Girl in 2022 Sentenced to 29 Years

NORFOLK, Va. — Roberto Tomas Rodriguez Carlin, 27, was sentenced earlier this year to serve 29 years in prison after a jury convicted him of raping and trafficking a teenage girl to whom he misrepresented his age in 2022.

Mr. Rodriguez Carlin, who was 25 at the time, caused the victim to believe that he was 17 years old while speaking with her through Snapchat and met with her on Nov. 5, 2022. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin picked up the victim from near her home in Chesapeake, drove her to Norfolk, sexually assaulted her in his car multiple times at different locations in Norfolk, and returned her to her home after about 12 hours. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin had instructed the victim to stay in his car while at the different locations, including his residence, and he made multiple phone calls to other people suggesting they also come have sex with the teenager.

The victim told a family member about the sexual assaults about five days later, her parent reported Mr. Rodriguez Carlin to police, and the victim underwent forensic examinations, though for some months the victim and her family were initially reluctant to pursue the case due to the trauma that the victim had suffered. Investigators collected and tested the clothes that the victim had been wearing while she was with Mr. Rodriguez Carlin, and the presence of his DNA was confirmed from sperm residue found on those garments.

On Dec. 10, 2022, Mr. Rodriguez Carlin was arrested by the Virginia Beach Police while in the act of taking indecent liberties with a different teenaged girl. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to that charge and was sentenced by a Virginia Beach Circuit Court judge to serve two years in prison. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin was approaching the end of that prison sentence when the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office secured the following direct indictments from a grand jury for the November 2022 incident: abduction with intent to defile, two counts of rape and forcible sodomy, one count of human trafficking, and two counts of misdemeanor sex with a minor. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin pleaded not guilty to those Norfolk charges and opted to be tried by a jury.

After hearing the evidence on March 12 and 13, 2025, and deliberating for about three hours, a Norfolk jury found Mr. Rodriguez Carlin guilty of one count of rape, one count of forcible sodomy, one count of human trafficking, and two counts of misdemeanor sex with a minor; he was acquitted of abduction and the additional counts of rape and forcible sodomy.

At Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s sentencing hearing on July 25, the Commonwealth argued for a sentence of 45 years in prison due to Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s demonstrated pattern of predatory behavior toward young girls, while his defense counsel argued for a low-end guidelines sentence of 14 years or less. After hearing the arguments, Judge Robert B. Rigney, who presided over the jury trial, sentenced Mr. Rodriguez Carlin to serve 29 years in prison and six months of post-release supervision. Judge Rigney suspended another 40 years in prison on the conditions that Mr. Rodriguez Carlin complete an indeterminate period of supervised probation for up to 20 years following his release, stay of unform good behavior during that time, have no contact with the victim, and complete sex offender treatments.

“Mr. Rodriguez Carlin preyed on the innocence of two different teenaged girls in two cities. I thank the survivors of Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s actions for summoning the strength to hold Mr. Rodriguez Carlin accountable and help us protect other girls from him,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “A society is judged based on how it protects its children, and my office and I will continue to focus our efforts on these important cases.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Keith M. Proctor prosecuted Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s case, and Norfolk Police Sergeant Jason E. Meyers led the investigation.

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June 4, 2025

Trigger Warning: Rape

Jury Convicts Man Who Misrepresented His Age of Trafficking, Raping Teen Girl in 2022

NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted Roberto Tomas Rodriguez Carlin, 27, of raping and trafficking a teenage girl to whom he misrepresented his age in 2022.

Mr. Rodriguez Carlin, who was 25 at the time, caused the victim to believe that he was 17 years old while speaking with her through Snapchat and met with her on Nov. 5, 2022. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin picked up the victim from near her home in Chesapeake, drove her to Norfolk, sexually assaulted her in his car multiple times at different locations in Norfolk, and returned her to her home after about 12 hours. Mr. Rodriguez Carlin had instructed the victim to stay in his car while at the different locations, including his residence, and he made multiple phone calls to other people suggesting they also come have sex with the teenager.

The victim told a family member about the sexual assaults about five days later, her parent reported Mr. Rodriguez Carlin to police, and the victim underwent forensic examinations. Investigators collected and tested the clothes that the victim had been wearing while she was with Mr. Rodriguez Carlin, and the presence of his DNA was confirmed from sperm residue found on those garments.

After hearing the evidence on March 12 and 13 and deliberating for about three hours, the jury found Mr. Rodriguez Carlin guilty of rape, forcible sodomy, human trafficking, and two counts of misdemeanor consensual sex with a minor. The jury found Mr. Rodriguez Carlin not guilty of abduction with intent to defile and additional counts of rape and forcible sodomy. Judge Robert B. Rigney, who presided over Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s jury trial, set his sentencing hearing on July 25.

“Mr. Rodriguez Carlin lied to, enticed, and abused a teenaged girl, all for his own gratification, and then had the audacity to offer up his victim for abuse by others,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I am grateful to the survivor of Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s crimes for her strength and perseverance in coming forward, cooperating with law enforcement, testifying against her abuser, and helping us secure justice. We have a moral obligation to look after our children and a moral obligation to hold accountable the people who would hurt our children for their own ends.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Keith M. Proctor is prosecuting Mr. Rodriguez Carlin’s case, and Norfolk Police Sergeant Jason E. Meyers led the investigation.

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