Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A McAllen man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. James Christopher Ruiz, 28, pleaded guilty on September 10, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ordered Ruiz to serve 300 months in prison. During the sentencing hearing, testimony from the victim's mother detailed the significant trauma experienced by the victim and her family due to this crime. The court assured the victim that she was not at fault and emphasized that all blame lies with Ruiz.
Ruiz will be on supervised release for life after his prison term, with conditions restricting his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In August 2023, law enforcement discovered Ruiz had been communicating with a 12-year-old online through Discord between June and July 2022. "People like the defendant can make the internet a dangerous place for children," said Ganjei.
Ruiz admitted knowing the victim was only 12 years old and sending sexually explicit content while enticing her to send nude images and videos of herself performing sexual acts. He also confessed to similar communications with other minors via Discord and virtual reality.
Ruiz remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from New Castle County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
