A Honduran man, arrested last year in a sting set up for Chris Hansen’s “TakeDown” streaming television show, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to attempting to meet with a minor for sex.
William Alexander Ruiz Ponce, 28, pleaded guilty to a count of attempted enticement of a minor and two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
Ruiz Ponce was one of 11 suspects caught in a February 2025 series of stings conducted by the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, where undercover agents pose as minors in online chats.
These “proactive investigations” seek to find child predators before they claim a victim.
For each of the dozens of stings LPSO has conducted alongside Chris Hansen, suspected predators were directed to a home in Denham Springs where they believed they would be meeting up with a teenager for sex.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Ruiz Ponce is a Honduran national without legal authorization to be in the country.
As part of his guilty plea, Ruiz Ponce admitted to having used social media and text messages to try to convince a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl from Denham Springs into a sexual relationship with him.
Chris Hansen on Livingston Parish child-predator stings: ‘Still surprised’ after 21 years
Ruiz Ponce admitted to planning a meeting with the “girl” and traveling 35 minutes to Denham Springs to meet with “her” in February 2025.
Ruiz Ponce’s conversation with the agent became more sexual after being told she was 14, according to a conversation between an LPSO detective and Chris Hansen during the “TakeDown” episode that documented Ruiz Ponce’s arrest.
“It’s fine with me, send me more photos of you,” Ruiz Ponce reportedly texted the agent after being asked if he was ok with talking to a 14-year-old, according to messages read by the detective during the episode.
Prior to their meeting, Ruiz Ponce sent the agent sexually-explicit images of himself, including of his genitals. He also asked for the agent’s location and expressed an interest in having sex.
According to the detective featured in “TakeDown,” Ruiz Ponce sent nudes of himself inside a porta-potty, taken while he was at work on a construction site.
“Now I’m waiting for yours, to see your cute body without clothes,” Ruiz Ponce texted the agent, among more explicit messages read by the detective during the episode.
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The conviction will land Ruiz Ponce in prison for a minimum of 10 years, with a maximum punishment of life in prison. Due to his charges, Ruiz Ponce could also possibly be required to pay a $250,000 fine, be under state supervision for the rest of his life, or register as a sex offender.
Upon completion of his sentence, Ruiz Ponce is also subject to deportation or removal, according to a DOJ press release.
Ruiz Ponce’s interview with Chris Hansen can be seen on season 13, episode 8 of “TakeDown,” which aired on TruBlu in May 2025.
A Louisiana House of Representatives resolution honoring Chris Hansen and his television crew for their work with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office was adopted last month after being introduced by Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs.
