El Salvador man gets 30 years for raping 11-year-old in Virginia Beach
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An illegal immigrant from El Salvador was sentenced to 30 years in prison for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl in Virginia Beach, local officials said Wednesday.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office shared the custody status of Ricardo Leonel Mejia on X and cited “numerous public inquiries” into Mejia’s case.
“Mejia, a citizen of El Salvador, will serve his 30-year sentence at the Virginia Department of Corrections before being transferred to ICE custody,” the post said.
The case sparked debate among Virginia leaders who debated whether the state should limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger said one of her first acts in office would be to reverse Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s immigration enforcement policies that have made Virginia a “sanctuary state,” according to the Republican Governors Association.
This policy would prevent local law enforcement from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in cases such as the Mejia case, where ICE issued a detention order for an undocumented immigrant convicted of serious crimes.
Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears reacted with a post on X, saying she was “sick beyond words.”
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Mejia was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl. (Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office)
Meija, 35, was found guilty of multiple counts of rape of a child under 13, indecent liberties with a minor and statutory larceny after pleading guilty in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, according to documents seen by Fox News Digital.
The attacks took place in 2024, when Mejia was hired to renovate a family’s bathroom.
The abuse came to light after the victim’s mother found him in his daughter’s bed after forcing open the locked door with a butter knife.
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The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office said Mejia, a citizen of El Salvador, will serve his 30-year sentence at the Virginia Department of Corrections before being transferred to ICE custody. (Google Maps)
Mejia escaped from the house through a window, but was later identified and arrested.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Mejia was in the country illegally and issued a detention order.
Following his sentence at the Virginia Department of Corrections, ICE said he would be detained for further processing.
During his sentencing, Mejia apologized to the victim, saying, “I know I’m not the only one going through a hard time. I’m sorry for the pain he went through during this process.”
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Records show Mejia was booked into the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility on October 9, 2024.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
