A Cambridge man, Daniel Rodriguez, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 4 for allegedly trafficking four women and attempting to traffic a fifth victim, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. One of the alleged victims was a minor at the time she was first trafficked.
The indictment includes one count of sex trafficking of a minor, four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, one count of attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. Rodriguez is currently held in state custody and is expected to be arraigned in federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment and publicly filed documents, Rodriguez allegedly forced four women—one beginning when she was a minor—to engage in commercial sex acts from 2018 until as recently as January 2026. He also allegedly attempted to force a fifth woman into commercial sex work in 2017. The documents state that his activities involved travel across several states including Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine.
Rodriguez was arrested on state charges in January 2026 after leading police on a high-speed chase in Randolph, Massachusetts that ended with him crashing his car while one of his victims was inside. Authorities allege he used physical violence, stalking and fraud as tactics to coerce his victims into commercial sex acts.
If convicted on charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion—or attempted sex trafficking by those means—Rodriguez faces mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years up to life imprisonment for each count. The charge involving a minor carries at least ten years up to life imprisonment. Each charge may also result in supervised release periods and fines up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley and Craig Estes from the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case alongside law enforcement partners from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Massachusetts State Police.
Authorities remind the public that all details contained within charging documents are allegations and that Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.