ALBUQUERQUE – Joel Ruiz, 65, from Dulce, was found guilty of aggravated sexual abuse by a federal jury after a day and a half of deliberation. United States Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI Albuquerque Office, announced the verdict, delivered on January 19, 2024. The trial was overseen by Judge David H. Urias.
Ruiz faced charges from a federal grand jury indictment dated March 8, 2022. Trial evidence and public court records revealed that between January 2016 and January 2020, Ruiz enticed a child under 12 years old into his trailer with candy and sexually assaulted her. This occurred on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, although neither Ruiz nor the victim are registered members of the tribe.
In her testimony, Jane Doe 1 stated that Ruiz abused her at the age of six or seven. Additionally, Jane Doe 2 testified about a separate incident when she was three or four years old, stating that Ruiz lured her into his trailer using candy and subjected her to similar abuse.
Ruiz is currently in custody awaiting sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years, with the possibility of life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, in collaboration with the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Matthew J. McGinley are handling the prosecution.