American receives 20 years in prison for child abuse in Ciudad Juárez

Authorities from the Texas Department of Justice reported on September 29 that a 71-year-old man from El Paso was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of child abuse in Mexico. According to the report, the man, identified as Enrique Ruvalcaba Méndez, was inspected and found on his cell phone containing videos and photographs that showed the sexual exploitation of minors.

On January 10, Enrique Ruvalcaba Méndez, 71, was referred for secondary inspection at the Bridge of the Americas port of entry in El Paso, Texas. There, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered that his phone contained several videos and photographs depicting him having sexual relations with minors.

The investigation revealed that Ruvalcaba frequently traveled to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where he paid to have intimate encounters with minors. He recorded himself with them and saved them on his phone, which served as evidence for authorities to determine that he abused at least three minors in Mexico.

Ruvalcaba pleaded guilty on July 3 and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Briones on September 24. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.