FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – An undocumented migrant from Cuba is finally set to be deported after sexually assaulting a teen, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said that the migrant — identified as Jose Valerio-Rodriguez, 70 — is a Cuban national who was in the country illegally, living in a tent behind a Palm Coast gas station.
Back in February 2025, deputies spoke with a 16-year-old girl, who had previously been reported missing, investigators explained.
“The juvenile female disclosed that she was with a homeless male named Jose in a tent behind a gas station in Palm Coast and that a sexual incident had occurred between them,” the release reads.
Valerio-Rodriguez was arrested for the incident less than a month later, and on Wednesday, he was finally sentenced after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual activity with a minor and two counts of lewd/lascivious touching of a minor, the release shows.
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Now, Valerio-Rodriguez is set to spend six years in prison, followed by nine years of sex offender probation and registration. The sheriff’s office said he will likely be 75 years old when he’s deported.
“Valerio-Rodriguez is a disgusting pervert who coerced and sexually assaulted a teen through drugs and fear,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Valerio-Rodriguez came illegally into this country and later assault a teenager. Had he committed these crimes in his homeland of Cuba, he would have faced the death penalty and likely not given the rights he exercised in America, so instead of taking advantage of America and assaulting our citizens, he should have been thankful.”
In addition, deputies said that prosecutors dropped one charge of child abuse against Valerio-Rodriguez in exchange for his guilty pleas.