Miami – February 12, 2025 – Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announces the arrest and charging of 36-year-old Rodney Poucely after an investigation into Poucely’s exploitation of young foster care girls in a drugs-for-sex scheme. In the two charged incidents, the 13 and 14-year-old victims, indicated that Poucely was fully aware of their ages before supplying the 14-year-old with marijuana in exchange for sex and before allegedly forcing the 13-year-old to have sex in his South Miami-Dade Goulds residence.

“Those who seek to traffic our children often target kids placed into foster care. These individuals know that the trauma foster care children have usually experienced make them easier to manipulate and control,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Sadly, this case is a clear example of how such individuals operate. I’m proud of the work of my Human Trafficking unit’s investigators and attorneys have done in this case, working to end the criminal career of such an individual.”

The 14-year-old female victim was approached by Poucely, whom she had known him for several months, at a gas station. She indicated that Poucely knew she lived at a foster home as a ward of the state. Poucely allegedly enticed the victim to go with him to a nearby park where they had sexual intercourse in exchange for marijuana.

In the second incident, a 13-year-old female victim indicated that she and a female friend, both foster care wards, were enticed by Poucely to go to his Goulds home to smoke marijuana. Poucely allegedly texted the victim’s friend that he needed girls to sell weed for him. Upon arriving at the house, the victim was given wine, vodka and marijuana provided by Poucely over the next few days that she stayed at the home. The victim would not allow Poucely to grope her, although she witnessed him having sex with her friend and an adult female.

On her last day in the apartment, Poucely entered and locked the door of the room the victim was in. He allegedly stated that she could not leave and forced her to have unprotected sexual intercourse. All of this allegedly occurred while the victim was under the influence of drugs and alcohol given to her by Poucely.