In a case that has ignited fiery debate across social media and the legal world, new documents released by the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office show that Veronika Rodriguez, recently found guilty of filing a false sexual assault report, sent flirtatious and explicit messages to her alleged attacker both before and after the encounter.

The revelations have thrown gasoline on an already smoldering public conversation about consent, military culture, and the treatment of alleged victims.

Rodriguez, an enlisted member of the military stationed in Pennsylvania, claimed that fellow soldier Fahad Pervez sexually assaulted her in a car at Fort Indiantown Gap on January 8, 2023.

She handed over an edited audio recording of the encounter as evidence. But prosecutors say that same audio — secretly recorded and spliced by Rodriguez — was a carefully constructed fabrication meant to portray consensual sex as an assault.

“You gave me hickies”

According to newly released legal documents first reported by CBS21 News, the jury was presented with hundreds of text messages exchanged between Rodriguez and Pervez that painted a far different picture than what she told police.

Reportedly, in one message sent immediately after the alleged assault, Rodriguez wrote to Pervez, “You gave me hickies all over my chest,” alongside an explicit photo. She also joked about leaving an intimate personal belonging in his car, suggesting he should “hold on to it” until their next date, which they had scheduled.

Other texts showed her bragging to a friend about the encounter, stating they were seeing each other again that night. Yet just hours later, Rodriguez told police she was assaulted.

The audio was edited, evidence showed

Adding further weight to the prosecution’s argument, investigators also discovered that Rodriguez had attempted to delete the full, unedited audio file of the alleged attack, which suggested consent and included planning for another date. Digital forensic teams recovered the file, showing she had spliced sections of the conversation to allegedly make it appear like a sexual assault.

Officials also pointed to what they called a disturbing pattern. According to the district attorney, Rodriguez has a history of secretly recording romantic partners and misrepresenting relationships. Texts revealed she had lied about her knowledge of alcohol and even specific bars she had visited.

As for Pervez, he itted to fraternizing with Rodriguez — a military rules violation due to their differing ranks — and has since resigned from the military.

Rodriguez claims that Pervez misrepresented himself as a newcomer and a doctor, persuading her to spend time with him. She alleges that he bought her several drinks and became increasingly aggressive, leading her to start recording their interaction out of fear. She reported the assault three days later, providing the audio recording as evidence.

Social media controversy

The Rodriguez case has ignited a firestorm on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit, where s have expressed outrage over the charges against Rodriguez. A Change.org petition demanding justice has garnered over 8,000 signatures, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $19,000 to her legal defense.

Critics argue that prosecuting Rodriguez sets a dangerous precedent for how sexual assault survivors are treated, particularly when they attempt to gather evidence of their assaults. ers of Rodriguez emphasize the importance of believing survivors and ensuring they are not penalized for seeking justice.

A Pennsylvania woman says she was raped, but when she showed police audio evidence of the assault, she was charged with several felonies after a judge said she made the recording without the man’s consent.

Veronika Rodriguez, 26, an Annville, PA, Air National Guard employee, said the man lied and told her he was new to town and a doctor, so she agreed to spend time with him, PennLive reported. She says he bought her several drinks that night and got physical with her in his car, and she became so uncomfortable because of the questions he was asking that night she started recording their conversation.

Amid the man’s sexual advances, she said no and asked him to stop, but she needed him to drive her home. At one point, she said he kissed her so hard it made her nose bleed, and they had to stop for tissues. However, the harassment continued, which she says resulted in rape. A GoFundMe launched to cover Rodriquez’s legal fees says her audio recording proves the encounter was non-consensual.

Filing a false report and wiretapping charges

Three days later, Rodriguez reported the attack, but local police arrested her instead for filing a false report and wiretapping charges. Pennsylvania police dismissed the allegations because she didn’t report them the same night she said it happened, despite the fact the military dismissed the accused rapist, and she had an audio recording of the attack, in which she can be heard telling him no and to stop.

Police also said she at first told someone else the encounter was consensual, which is not uncommon for rape victims, and that she continued to the man, including sending him a topless photo, authorities failing to notice she was badly bruised in the picture and she told him, it looks like I’ve been attacked. Before she ed the police, she also reportedly shared the audio recording with a friend, who is a cop, asking him what she should do.

After Rodriguez’s charges were filed, the alarming situation went viral, and on Thursday, a Lebanon County judge signed a gag order preventing Rodriquez and her family from speaking publicly about the case.

Rodriquez GoFundMe says, “Over these two years, Veronika’s family has endured immense stress, pouring thousands of dollars into fighting these baseless charges. Legal counsel, expert witnesses, and travel expenses have piled up, leaving her loved ones burdened with overwhelming debt. The financial strain has only added to the emotional toll this flawed investigation has taken on them all.”

The fact Rodriguez has been accused of recording and sharing the recording of the man without his consent in a rape case has elicited strong emotions on social media. “So you can’t record something that happened to you without your consent unless the person violating your consent gives you consent to record something they’re doing to you without your consent?? I can’t quite put my finger on it,” one comment said.

“The whole ‘you’re not allowed to be recording me’ thing, I’m pretty sure that only applies when you’re going to be ing the video footage. So everyone who has dash cams are collecting felonies? ” another TikTok post comment added. And finally, another said, “This brought me to tears.”

The Rodriguez story is developing, but it’s encouraging to note her GoFundMe had a $2,000 goal but, as of this report, had raised more than $7,500 to help “Veronika and her family cover the immense legal expenses and debt they’ve endured while fighting for her name, her dignity, and her voice,” the campaign’s page says.