Man Arrested for Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor

Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the Northern District of Ohio, and Patrick Berarducci, Chief of Medina Police Department, announce the arrest of Edwin Franco Rolffo-Zavala, age 24.

On January 21, 2014 a conscientious Medina City Police Department patrolman observed a parked car in a parking lot of a park with two occupants at 3a.m. The patrolman sensed something was amiss and questioned the adult male in the parked car. The adult male, identified as Rolffo-Zavala, stated he and the minor female were family members. The minor told a different story indicating Rolffo-Zavala had traveled from California to meet her. She also informed the patrolman that she had met Rolffo-Zavala online approximately 9 months ago. Rolffo-Zavala was taken into custody for probable cause of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Medina City Police Department conducted a thorough investigation, resulting in numerous search warrants being executed, to include searches of cellular telephones, laptop computers, a motel room, a vehicle, and coordination with the Navato, California Police Department to conduct a search of Rolffo-Zavala’s residence. Various items of evidence were obtained, to include transcripts and videos of chats indicating Rolffo-Zavala was aware of the minor’s age of 13 during their online chats and 14 at the time of their in person meetings.

A meeting was held on March 5, 2014, between local and federal law enforcement officials to discuss the appropriate avenue to charge Rolffo-Zavala. A federal complaint was filed and an arrest warrant was issued on March 14, 2014. Rolffo-Zavala was transported into federal custody by FBI agents on March 17, 2014.

“Children should not be victimized by perpetrators such as Rolffo-Zavala,” said Stephen Anthony. “This was tremendous work conducted by the Medina Police Department. The FBI will continue collaborative efforts with our local partners to protect kids.”

“We hope this sends a clear message that our #1 priority is to protect the children of our community,” said Chief Patrick Berarducci. “We will call on all of our partners to ensure the most appropriate possible sentencing of an offender such as this can occur.”

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record (if any); his or her role in the offenses; and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, they will be less than the maximum.

Any questions regarding this news release can be directed to SA Vicki D. Anderson at the Cleveland Office of the FBI, 216-522-1400 or Vicki.anderson@ic.fbi.gov.