Inmate Convicted for Making False Statements

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Teresa Gulotta-Powers, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, announced that a jury returned a verdict of guilty today against Dailin Pico Rodriguez on three counts of making false statements, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.

The evidence at trial showed that while the defendant was incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, she falsely accused correctional officers of repeatedly sexually assaulting her. In support of her claim, the defendant offered a pair of prison pants that she alleged had the semen of one of her attackers. She subsequently falsely identified a correctional officer in a photo array as one of the attackers, and told agents that her boyfriend had additional physical evidence, including strands of her hair with semen. DNA analysis confirmed that the semen in both pieces of purported evidence belonged to the defendant’s boyfriend.

Sentencing has been scheduled for November 17, 2011 before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to five years in prison on each of the three counts of making false statements.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the DOJ-OIG, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Rhee Osborne.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.