Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor

Ocala, Florida – Yoandris Jose Ruiz Bello (32, Venezuela) has pleaded guilty to attempted production of child sexual abuse material and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Ruiz Bello faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for the attempted production offense; and a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for the attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the plea agreement, on August 21, 2024, Ruiz Bello engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. During the conversation, Ruiz Bello asked the minor to create a sexually explicit video of herself and send it to him. Ruiz Bello also sent an explicit photograph of male genitalia to the minor. In actuality, Ruiz Bello was communicating with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations special agent. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.