OCALA, Fla. — A 32-year-old Venezuelan man has been charged in federal court after investigators said he tried to persuade someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl to create and send a sexually explicit video.
Federal prosecutors said Yoandris Jose Ruiz Bello was indicted on one count of attempted production of child sexual abuse material.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the alleged exchange happened Aug. 21, 2024, when Ruiz Bello believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl online.
Investigators said the person on the other end was actually an undercover special agent with Homeland Security Investigations.
Prosecutors allege Ruiz Bello asked for a sexually explicit video to be recorded and sent to him.
He is currently being held pending further court proceedings.
If convicted, Ruiz Bello faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and up to 30 years, according to prosecutors.
Federal officials noted that an indictment is a formal charge and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a national Department of Justice effort focused on child exploitation investigations.
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