VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Salvadoran contractor sentenced Tuesday for raping an 11-year-old girl after he was hired to renovate the family's bathroom was in the United States illegally, the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office confirmed to WTKR investigator Margaret Kavanagh Wednesday.
Ricardo Mejia was hired to renovate the family’s bathroom but instead committed crimes against the child on three different occasions. He was convicted with three counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, and for breaking into the home.
Mejia, who is a citizen of El Salvador, is illegally in the country, and an ICE detainer has been issued for him.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer for Mejia after the VBSO ran a routine query on him because he was born outside of the U.S..
On Tuesday during his sentencing, Mejia addressed the court to apologize to the victim.
“I know I am not the only one experiencing hard times,” said Mejia. "I’m sorry for the pain she is going through in this process."
Watch previous coverage: Contractor accused of climbing through window, raping girl in VB
A search warrant outlines how on Oct. 9, 2024 around 2:30 a.m., the parents heard noises coming from their 11-year-old daughter’s bedroom. The door was locked, and they got a butter knife to force it open.
Then, they saw a naked man climbing out of the window, the warrant says.
Court records state that Mejia is accused of climbing through the window on three occasions. He confirmed this during an interview with legal authorities.
Mejia said the first rape took place when the child's parents weren't home, multiple days before he was caught.
The second and third times happened at night in the child's bedroom, according to court documents.
When an individual is taken into VBSO custody and identified as not being born in the United States or a U.S. territory, ICE is promptly notified. ICE then decides whether to take the individual into federal custody once the VBSO has completed processing them on their state or local charges. If convicted, they will serve their time (in this case, at the Virginia Department of Corrections) prior to being transferred to ICE (the detainer follows them to the DOC). If ICE determines that federal charges are warranted, it will issue a warrant for that individual, which is handled through a separate federal process. The DOC is supposed to pick up inmates within 90 days of sentencing, but it can sometimes take longer. We do not have a timeline for Mejia.
