Alleged rapist extradited to Santa Fe

| The New Mexican

5/8/2008 - 5/9/08

A man wanted in Santa Fe on rape charges since last year is behind bars here after being extradited from Mexico.

Santa Fe police say Manuel de Jesús Noriega-Ruvalcaba, a Mexican national also known as Manuel Noriega, raped a woman on March 16, 2006, and fled to Mexico. The following September, a grand jury indicted him on charges of criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery.

On April 9, 2007, the Attorney General's Office sought an arrest warrant on a request from the District Attorney's Office, and on July 12, 2007, Noriega-Ruvalcaba was arrested on the warrant in Trancoso, Zacatecas, Mexico.

His return culminated a joint effort of local police and prosecutors, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and a host of U.S. and Mexican officials.

A treaty between the United States and Mexico allows the extradition of Mexican nationals wanted for crimes in the U.S. after a police agency makes a formal request.

The charges against Noriega accuse him of convincing a woman he worked with at Eldorado Hotel and Spa that he was a professional artist who painted nude women, police Deputy Chief Aric Wheeler told The New Mexican after Noriega-Ruvalcaba's arrest last summer. Noriega-Ruvalcaba told the woman he would pay her to model for him, Wheeler said.

Later, Noriega and the woman, who had bought champagne for the occasion, went to her apartment on Sawmill Road, according to Wheeler. But instead of painting her picture, Noriega-Ruvalcaba allegedly raped her for four to five hours and assaulted her with a knife. The woman's hand was cut when she tried to grab the knife from Noriega-Ruvalcaba, and she suffered bruising and bite marks on much of her body, Wheeler said.

Noriega-Ruvalcaba reportedly fled Santa Fe after he found out the woman had reported the assault, Wheeler said. He also said DNA evidence was collected in the case.

Noriega-Ruvalcaba is being held in the Santa Fe County jail.