United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida
04/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/27/2026 12:47
Venezuelan National Charged with Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material
Ocala, Florida - Yoandris Jose Ruiz Bello (32, Venezuela) has been charged by federal indictment with attempted production of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Ruiz Bello faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment and evidence presented in court, on August 21, 2024, Ruiz Bello, believing he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl, asked the minor to produce a sexually explicit video of herself and send it to him. In fact, Ruiz Bellow was communicating with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Ruiz Bello is currently detained pending the resolution of the case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It will be 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.
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