A Pennsylvania woman who falsely accused a military doctor of rape has been sentenced to jail after jurors found she fabricated the story and secretly recorded their consensual encounter.
Veronika Rodriguez, 27, was convicted in May by a Lebanon County jury on charges of false reporting, intercepting communications, and disclosing intercepted communications. On Wednesday, the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office announced that she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, followed by nearly two years of probation.
The case stemmed from a January 2023 incident at Fort Indiantown Gap, a military training facility about 30 miles northwest of Harrisburg. Rodriguez, then serving in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, went on a date with a military doctor. The pair drank alcohol and later had sex in the doctor’s car while parked at the Keystone Conference Center.
Their parked car attracted the attention of police for being on-site after hours, and the incident appeared in a police blotter. Soon after, Rodriguez told law enforcement that the sexual encounter was not consensual, alleging the doctor had taken her glasses to impair her vision.
However, prosecutors revealed that Rodriguez only made the allegation after both she and the doctor were questioned by National Guard officials about fraternization. Investigators also discovered that Rodriguez had secretly recorded part of their encounter without consent.
The recordings, along with text messages, painted a different picture. Detectives found messages between Rodriguez and the doctor arranging another date, as well as conversations where she described the sexual encounter to friends in a consensual context. Prosecutors argued she had manipulated the recordings to frame the doctor.
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf called the case “damning,” citing the evidence gathered from Rodriguez’s phone. “The Defendant had consensual sex that she secretly recorded and bragged about to a multitude of friends,” Graf said. “She falsely cried rape only when confronted about fraternization with the victim by her military superior.”
The fallout for the victim was devastating. The military doctor resigned from his position, forfeited his pension, and continues to endure harassment. “With her heinous and wholly false report of rape, (Rodriguez) stole his career and his future,” Graf said after sentencing.
During a press conference, Graf emphasized that both text exchanges and witness testimony consistently showed the encounter was consensual. “Every step of the way, this was consensual,” she noted, rejecting criticism of how the case was handled.
The verdict and sentencing have drawn national attention, highlighting the severe consequences of false allegations—not only for the accused, but also for genuine victims of sexual assault whose credibility may be undermined by fabricated claims.
Rodriguez will serve her sentence in county jail before beginning probation. Prosecutors hope the case serves as a warning against abusing the justice system for personal motives.
