A Lyford man has been convicted of possessing 150 images of child pornography and human smuggling, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The news release said Jose Rodriguez Jr. was arrested on Aug. 12, 2024 for human smuggling and when authorities seized his phone they found over 150 images and videos of child sexual assault material.

During trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding the images and video's on Rodriguez's phone that were stored over multiple months, according to the news release. The evidence included numerous files depicting sexual assaults of children and a prior conviction for criminal attempted sexual assault from 2010 which involved a minor victim.

The news release said Rodriguez's defense team attempted to convince the jury that a virus downloaded the child pornography images onto his phone. However, evidence showed Rodriguez had over 100 user accounts linked to him and the images were downloaded on 20 separate occasions from April 2024 to August 2024.

According to the news release, Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing on July 15 when he will face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible maximum fine of $250,000.

Rodriguez was charged in a separate case for human smuggling, to which he later pleaded guilty, according to the news release. He was taken into custody, where he will remain pending sentencing in both cases.