El Salvadoran national gets 30 years in VA child‑rape case
Virginia Beach officials said Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, a citizen of El Salvador in the U.S. unlawfully, was sentenced to 30 years in Virginia Beach Circuit Court after pleading guilty to repeatedly raping an 11‑year‑old in 2024. The sheriff’s office said Mejia will serve his term in the Virginia Department of Corrections and then be transferred to ICE custody under a detainer, a case that has fed debate over Virginia’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Crime
Immigration
📌 Key Facts
- Defendant: Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, citizen of El Salvador in the U.S. illegally
- Sentence: 30 years in Virginia Department of Corrections
- Charges: multiple counts of raping a child under 13, indecent liberties with a minor, statutory burglary (pleaded guilty)
- Incident details: assaults occurred in 2024 while Mejia was hired to renovate a bathroom; mother found him in daughter’s bed after forcing a locked door
- Custody path: ICE has issued a detainer; transfer to ICE custody after state sentence
- Booking record: booked into Virginia Beach Correctional Center on Oct. 9, 2024