DENHAM SPRINGS – A Honduran national was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, the United States Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Alexander Ruiz-Ponce, 28, pleaded guilty to the crime in April. The department said in 2025, he 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.
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…