U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Sentence for Convicted Child Predator

ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison following a trial where evidence revealed that between January 2016 and January 2020, Joel Ruiz, 65, used candy to lure two children under the age of 12 into his trailer on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, where he sexually assaulted them.

There is no parole in the federal system.

During the trial, Jane Doe 1 testified that Ruiz abused her when she was six or seven years old. The jury also heard from Jane Doe 2, who testified that Ruiz abused her once when she was three or four years old. Both victims described similar methods used by Ruiz to lure them and the abuse they suffered.

Upon his release from prison, Ruiz will be subject to l0 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Matthew J. McGinley prosecuted the case.

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