LIVINGSTON PARISH, La. (WAFB) – A man arrested during a child predator sting in Livingston Parish last year has pleaded guilty.
United States Attorney Kurt Wall announced Monday, April 6, that William Alexander Ruiz-Ponce, 28, pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to the Louisiana Department of Justice (DOJ), as part of his guilty plea, Ruiz-Ponce admitted to using social media and text messages to convince someone, whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl in Denham Springs, to have an illegal sexual relationship with him in February 2025.
Officials said Ruiz-Ponce sent the undercover officer inappropriate photos of himself, asked for that person’s location, and expressed his desire to engage in sexual acts in person.
Undercover officers arrested Ruiz-Ponce when he traveled to Denham Springs to allegedly meet up with that person at their agreed-upon location.
For his conviction, officials say he could spend between 10 years and life in prison, receive a $250,000 fine, have up to a lifetime of supervised release, and must register as a sex offender.
According to the DOJ, Ruiz-Ponce is a Honduran national not legally authorized to be in the United States, so he may be deported after completing his sentence.
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