Former Horizon High School teacher pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of minor
EL PASO, Texas – Federal officials say, Ricardo Ortiz, 30, pleaded guilty Wednesday to enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to officials, Ortiz arranged to meet a 14-year-old for sex. But the 14-year-old Ortiz thought he was speaking to was instead an FBI employee posing as a minor.
Ortiz was arrested in July 2020. According to ABC-7 archives, Ortiz was one of ten people arrested in an FBI sting involving sex crimes dubbed "Operation Cerberus".
Officials say the former Horizon High School teacher pleaded guilty to three counts of Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and one count of Possession of a Visual Depiction Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Federal officials say an investigation revealed Ortiz engaged in sexual activities with at least three minors in the El Paso area. Agents also found child pornography on Ortiz's electronic devices.
No sentencing date has been set. Ortiz faces a maximum penalty of life in prison on each of the coercion and enticement counts and up to 20 years in prison on the possession count.
