McAllen resident sentenced to 25 years for using communication app to entice minor

McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old man has been sent to prison for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

James Christopher Ruiz pleaded guilty Sept. 10, 2024. 

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Ruiz to serve 300 months in prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including testimony from the victim’s mother detailing significant trauma the victim is dealing with and how this crime has negatively impacted not just the her, but everyone in her family. After handing down the sentence, the court addressed the victim and informed her there was nothing wrong with or bad about her and she did not bring this upon herself. The court explained that all the blame lies with the Ruiz who will also serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. 

In August 2023, law enforcement learned Ruiz had been communicating with a 12-year-old minor online. The investigation revealed he had been chatting with the victim from June to July 2022 via Discord.

“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 knew the minor victim was only 12 years of age. During their conversations, Ruiz sent sexually explicit photos and videos to the minor and enticed the victim to send nude images of her breasts and genitals on multiple occasions. He also explained what masturbating was and persuaded her to send videos of her doing so. 

Ruiz admitted to communicating with other minors via Discord and virtual reality. He said he would tell the minor females to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves and instructed them on what to do.

Ruiz has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the New Castle County Police Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.