Published: March 18, 2026 at 11:05 AM

lead-art-block.fullscreen-enterExpandMIAMI FEDERAL COURT CASE A jury convicted Ramon Arellano Sandoval on Tuesday in federal court in Miami. Federal agents found he exchanged thousands of text and video messages with a 14-year-old girl in rural Florida, records show.

MIAMI — A 65-year-old man was awaiting sentencing in prison on Wednesday in downtown Miami after a conviction related to the sexual abuse of a teen, records show.

Ramon Arellano Sandoval, who was living in Tennessee, sexually abused the teenage girl in rural Florida and in rural Colombia, according to federal prosecutors.

Arellano Sandoval “pressured a child to create sexually explicit videos and even traveled overseas to abuse her,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement on Tuesday.

After a probe that involved Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the evidence included thousands of text and video messages, and a record of electronic payments, records showed.

Before finding Arellano Sandoval guilty on Feb. 24 of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted production of visual depictions of the sexual exploitation of a minor, a jury learned he was accused of also trying to traffic the girl.

“The jury’s verdict delivered justice for a 14-year-old victim who was targeted and exploited by a 65-year-old man who knew exactly what he was doing,” Reding Quiñones said.

Arellano Sandoval faces up to life in federal prison for attempted sex trafficking and up to 30 years for attempted production.

Related social media

TN MAN FACES LIFE + 30 FOR ATTEMPTING TO SEX TRAFFIC A MINOR AND PRODUCE ILLICIT CONTENT OF HER

A jury convicted 65-year-old Ramon Arellano Sandoval after an ICE @HSIMiami probe found he exchanged thousands of text and video messages with a 14-year-old girl in rural Florida.… pic.twitter.com/DITAcRbNy4

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) March 17, 2026

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

Andrea TorresAndrea Torres

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.