Tampa man accused of revenge porn, sexual battery of an animal, begs judge to let him out on bond

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa man accused of revenge porn and dozens of other sex crimes told the judge Thursday he is suffering in jail. Rudolfo Palermo says, while sitting behind bars, he has lost family members and his business and now he wants out.

"I don't plan on doing anything that’s going to upset the prosecution or make things harder for my defense team," Palermo said as he pleaded with the judge. 

Palermo is accused of a number of sex crimes that include extortion, dozens of counts of sexual battery, cyberstalking, and sexual battery of an animal.

Prosecutors say he forced two young women to have sex with himself and other men. If they refused, prosecutors say he threatened to post videos of both the women performing sexual acts. 

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In February, one of the victims told a Tampa judge what she went through. 

"I didn't consent to him recording me," she testified.

Palermo was arrested in April 2020. He said that, since then, he has lost his air conditioning business and the deaths of family members.

"Since I’ve been locked up over the past 575 days, I've lost seven family members and now my only living grandmother won't make it past the end of the year," Palermo said.

Palermo did have a story for the judge about a good deed he did while locked up.

"I even saved someone's life that was choking within the jail… Someone was choking, I gave them the Heimlich maneuver," he recalled for the judge. "I've been a model inmate." 

But the prosecution reminded the judge that Palermo tampered with a witness after his arrest and should not get a second chance.

The judge agreed and denied Palermo bond. His trial is set for June 2022.