A McAllen resident has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. James Christopher Ruiz, aged 28, pleaded guilty on September 10, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ordered Ruiz to serve a 300-month prison term. During the hearing, the court received testimony from the victim’s mother about the significant trauma experienced by her daughter and its impact on their family. The court assured the victim that she was not at fault and emphasized that all blame lies with Ruiz.
Upon completion of his prison sentence, Ruiz will be subject to supervised release for life with restrictions on his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In August 2023, law enforcement discovered that Ruiz had been communicating online with a 12-year-old girl via Discord from June to July 2022. "People like the defendant can make the internet a dangerous place for children," said Ganjei. "Fortunately, law enforcement was able to discover and arrest Mr. Ruiz, bringing an end to his predatory online behavior."
Ruiz admitted knowing the victim's age and sending sexually explicit content while persuading her to reciprocate with similar images and videos. He also confessed to communicating with other minors through Discord and virtual reality platforms.
Ruiz remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the 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.