30-year-old charged with sexually assaulting Olmsted County teen

ROCHESTER – A 30-year-old man is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenager younger than 16 and recording the assaults on video.

Ruben Anthony Michael Cortez is charged in Olmsted County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, using minors in a pornographic work and soliciting a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct.

Cortez is incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Faribault and is a registered predatory offender after a 2015 conviction for possessing child pornography in Waseca County. He is scheduled to be released Jan. 4.

According to court records, Cortez is accused of having sex with the victim several times in September and uploading videos and photos to Snapchat. The victim's mother contacted police in October after finding a cellphone and photos of the victim allegedly having sex with Cortez. The victim wasn't supposed to have a cellphone, according to a court complaint.

The victim told police she met Cortez on Snapchat and started speaking to him in July or August, according to a court complaint.

They allegedly met for sex twice, with Cortez giving her the cellphone the second time. Each time Cortez recorded the two having sex despite the victim's reluctance to be recorded, according to court records.

Court records state Cortez initially denied the victim's account but later confirmed he had sex with the victim and recorded her.

Police found records of group chats between Cortez, the victim and another teenage female from South Dakota. Cortez admitted to police he sent explicit pictures to the second teenager, according to a complaint.

Cortez's first court hearing in this case is scheduled for Jan. 18.