Baja California’s FGE (state attorney general’s office) charged a Mexicali man with rape and corruption of a minor after prosecutors said he used a digital app to contact and lure an underage victim. A judge ordered preventive detention for the suspect, identified as Arturo “N,” following a court hearing in the Baja California capital.
Suspect Allegedly Offered Cash in Hacienda de las Torres
Prosecutors told the court that Arturo “N” contacted the victim through an unspecified digital platform, then convinced her to visit his home in the Hacienda de las Torres neighborhood on February 26. Once there, he allegedly offered cash in exchange for sexual acts.
The abuse occurred on at least two separate occasions, according to the FGE’s case file. Investigators did not disclose the victim’s age or the specific app used in the contact.
Hacienda de las Torres sits in the southeastern section of Mexicali, a sprawling desert city of roughly one million people that borders Calexico, California. The neighborhood is a residential subdivision about 15 minutes south of the Calexico East port of entry.
Judge Orders Preventive Detention
After reviewing the evidence, a judge determined sufficient cause existed to bind the case over for trial. The court also imposed preventive detention, meaning Arturo “N” will remain jailed while the prosecution builds its case. Under Mexico’s criminal justice system, preventive detention is reserved for serious offenses including sexual crimes against minors.
Baja California’s penal code classifies rape of a minor as a high-priority offense. Convictions carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison. Corruption of minors, a separate charge that covers inducing a child into sexual activity, adds additional prison time if proven at trial.
The FGE has prosecuted several similar cases in Mexicali in recent years. In a separate case reported earlier this month, Mexicali police arrested a 25-year-old man wanted for sexual assault after spotting him during a patrol in the González Ortega neighborhood. That suspect was also held for formal charges by the state prosecutor’s office.
No date has been set for the next hearing in Arturo “N”‘s case, as reported by The Baja Post.