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HOUSTON - A 27-year-old man has been ordered to prison for coercion and enticement of a minor and receipt of child pornography, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Houston man sentenced to 27 years behind bars after being found guilty
What we know:
Officials said Victor Zuniga pleaded guilty on January 15.
As a result, officials said U.S. District Judge Andrew S. haven sentenced to 324 and 240 months for the coercion/enticement and receipt convictions, respectively.
Officials stated the sentence will run concurrently for a total 324-month prison term.
The backstory:
At the hearing, officials said the court heard additional evidence that Zuniga spent more than a year attempting to arrange an in-person meeting to facilitate the sexual abuse of a toddler.
Zuniga will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to the internet.
A total of four videos from the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation prompted the investigation in December 2023, officials stated.
Dig deeper:
Between Jan. 28, 2022, and Nov. 2, 2023, Zuniga exchanged multiple messages discussing having sex with minors. He ultimately received numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse material.
Forensic examination of Zuniga’s cell phone revealed a 42-minute screen recording of a live video feed of minor children ranging from two to 10 years of age being sexually abused.
Zuniga has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Source: News release from Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.