El Salvadoran Man Sentenced for Sexual Assault in Virginia Beach

A man from El Salvador has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in Virginia Beach.

This sentencing occurred on Tuesday, and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office released the mugshot of 35-year-old Ricardo Lionel Mejia on Wednesday.

Mejia was arrested at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center on October 9, 2024, after entering a guilty plea to multiple charges, including three counts of raping a victim under the age of 13, indecent liberties with a child under 15, and statutory burglary.

According to the sheriff’s office, he will serve his sentence at a Virginia Department of Corrections facility and will also be held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) retainer before any potential transfer to ICE for further action.

The sheriff’s office decided to share this information publicly after receiving numerous inquiries about Mejia’s status.

The incidents occurred in 2024 when Mejia was tasked with renovating the family’s bathroom.

The victim’s mother discovered Mejia in her daughter’s bedroom after forcing open the locked door with a butter knife. He managed to escape through a window but was later identified and apprehended.

During his sentencing, Mejia expressed remorse, stating, “I know I am not the only one experiencing hard times. I’m sorry for the pain she is going through in this process.”

In a related political context, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger mentioned that one of her initial actions if elected would be to reverse current immigration policies in Virginia, aiming to establish the state as a “sanctuary state.” This change would prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE in cases like Mejia’s.

Conversely, Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears expressed her outrage on social media, stating she was “sickened beyond words” by the attack.

“Her life will never be the same,” Earle-Sears remarked, reflecting on the impact of the crime on the young victim.

Earle-Sears further criticized Spanberger’s stance, questioning how many more children might be harmed before acknowledging the flaws in her immigration policies.