A 23-year-old McAllen man was sentenced to federal prison for attempting to use social media to coerce and entice a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Israel Ruiz pleaded guilty March 29 and was sentenced to 17 years.

Hamdani said during the hearing, the court heard information regarding Ruiz's "methods of manipulation and extortion" used against minor children to share photographs "constituting child pornography."

As part of his sentence, Ruiz will also have to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence, during which he will have to comply with requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He has also been ordered to register as a sex offender, according to Hamdani.

Hamdani said from January to February 2020, Ruiz used Instagram to solicit images from children as young as nine years old.

The investigation, conducted by the FBI, revealed Ruiz used several tactics to obtain the photos, including contacting the victims through Instagram. He also attempted to intimidate the victims through threats to post other nude images of them or their friends online, according to Hamdani.

Ruiz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.