An Austin man is facing severe legal consequences after his recent arrest for the alleged sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old girl through social media. Jonathan Ruiz-Correa, 29, was reportedly masquerading as a 17-year-old named "Lucas" on Snapchat when he initiated contact with the minor. Details provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas suggest that the conversations between Ruiz-Correa and the girl included requests for sexually explicit videos, with the minor eventually complying.
Court documents also describe how Ruiz-Correa allegedly planned to pay for the girl, who was out of state, to travel to meet him in person. Further revelations indicate he transferred money to the minor via PayPal. As the teenager delved into Ruiz-Correa's digital footprint, she stumbled upon his true age after engaging with one of his female Instagram followers. The follower shared a video from what appeared to be Ruiz-Correa's dating app profile, revealing his actual age and intentions.
The investigation intensified as agents took possession of a mobile phone belonging to Ruiz-Correa, which was found to contain not just explicit content involving the alleged victim but also a video suggesting sexual activity with another minor. It’s claimed this second incident involved Ruiz-Correa traveling to Houston earlier in January to meet the minor. He now faces charges that include one count of sexual exploitation of children and another relating to material constituting or containing child pornography.
If convicted on these counts, the penalties are significant; the exploitation charge alone could land Ruiz-Correa in prison for 15 to 30 years, and the charge regarding child pornography carries a sentence of five to 20 years. The final sentence will be influenced by federal sentencing guidelines and statutory factors as assessed by a federal district court judge. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced the charges stemming from the FBI’s ongoing investigation into the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Devlin leading the prosecution efforts.
