BATON ROUGE —  A Honduran national pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, the United States Department of Justice said Monday. 

According to the department, in February 2025, 28-year-old Alexander Ruiz-Ponce convinced whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl in Denham Springs to have an illegal sexual relationship with him via social media and text messages.

During conversations, Ruiz-Ponce sent what was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the teen explicit images of himself and also asked for the officer's location to engage in illegal sex acts in person.

Ruiz-Ponce, who is in the country illegally, traveled to Denham Springs to meet up with the supposed teen to engage in sexual acts; however, upon his arrival at the agreed-upon location, he was arrested

The department said that Ruiz-Ponce's conviction is punishable by a minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison with a $250,000 fine. He is also subject to deportation from the country upon completing his sentence. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office.