An El Paso man, Enrique Ruvalcaba-Mendez, aged 71, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the sexual abuse of multiple minors in Mexico, after being caught with explicit materials on his phone during a border inspection. The sentencing, which took place in a U.S. federal court, followed his guilty plea earlier this year for transporting visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors across the international border.
On January 10, Ruvalcaba-Mendez was referred for a secondary inspection at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, during which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered multiple incriminating videos and photos on his device, some of Ruvalcaba engaged in sexual acts with underage females and as part of an investigation, it was revealed that he had been traveling to Ciudad Juarez to engage in these acts, where he paid to have sex with minors and then documented the abuse on his phone.
Following the discovery, Ruvalcaba pleaded guilty on July 3, leading to his recent sentencing on September 24 by U.S. District Judge David Briones, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas, as reported on the U.S. Department of Justice's official website.
His conviction comes after a joint investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and CBP, with assistance from the HSI Assistant Attaché Office in Ciudad Juarez, Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Romero prosecuted the case which brought to light the extent of Ruvalcaba's crimes against at least three known minors in Mexico, demonstrating the collaborative efforts of national and local law enforcement agencies in addressing cross-border sexual exploitation.
