Florida police arrested an Army recruiter Friday who allegedly had sex with two 17-year-old girls, both of whom had filled out recruitment paperwork that included their ages.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday in a Fort Lauderdale court also accuses Staff Sgt. Jose Nieves Jr., 30, of soliciting explicit photos from one of the girls, then sharing them with a third underage female. He faces two charges stemming from the allegations and would face a 10-year minimum prison sentence if convicted.
Nieves allegedly met one of the girls after a January orientation session at his Plantation, Florida, recruiting office and engaged in sexual acts with her on multiple occasions beginning in February, including at least once in an Army-issued vehicle.
Another girl met Nieves in March when she began attending weekly physical training sessions as part of her desire to enlist, according to the complaint. Nieves began driving her to the workouts, she told investigators, picking her up "approximately 30 minutes early so that they could spend time together before the PT session." She also said that "every time they were alone in the car, they engaged in sexual contact," per the complaint.
Nieves was suspended from recruiting duties beginning May 8 — the day local police were informed of the allegations, according to the complaint — and the Army is investigating, an Army spokesman told local media outlets. The staff sergeant reportedly began recruiting duty in the Miami area in December 2013.
The arrest took place early Friday morning, local media reported, and Nieves was in jail before noon, where he's awaiting a Tuesday hearing.