Prosecutors in Ramsey County have charged South St. Paul resident Abimael Rios Ojeda with a slate of felony counts alleging sexual abuse of minors, in a case that court records say involves more than one victim under the age of 16 and conduct stretching over several years.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court and reported by Limitless Media News, Ojeda faces one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and multiple counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges are drawn directly from the complaint prosecutors submitted to the court.
Misfits Media, which tracks new child-sex-abuse filings in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, lists the case under file number 62-CR-26-3374. The outlet notes that the complaint identifies at least one alleged victim who is related to Ojeda by family. The tracker links to a copy of the criminal complaint, which, like all charging documents, contains allegations that have not been proven in court.
What prosecutors allege
Prosecutors, according to Limitless Media News, allege that the abuse took place in Ramsey County between 2011 and 2018 and involved both sexual penetration and sexual contact. The complaint describes what it characterizes as a pattern of abuse over that span, claims that will have to be tested through the court process.
Penalties under Minnesota law
Under Minnesota law, a conviction for first-degree criminal sexual conduct can carry a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $40,000. Second-degree criminal sexual conduct convictions can carry a maximum of 25 years and a fine of up to $35,000. The full statute language and sentencing provisions are outlined in Minnesota Statutes §609.342 and §609.343.
Court process and victim privacy
Minnesota law generally limits public access to information that could identify minor victims in criminal sexual conduct cases, and judges frequently issue protective orders or require redacted filings to help safeguard those identities. As with all criminal prosecutions, the allegations in the complaint remain just that: allegations. Ojeda has not been convicted in this case and is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
