Texas man faked being 16 to coerce 14-year-old from Ohio: court records

TEXARKANA, Texas - A Texas man was sentenced for exploiting a child in Ohio who he met online when she was 14-years-old, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

On June 5, 28-year-old Zachary Arzola from Mount Vernon, Texas, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

According to court records, he admitted to persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing the 14-year-old to have sexual activity.

Texas man drove teen from Ohio to Mt. Vernon

The backstory:

Arzola reportedly met a 14-year-old online in September 2022 when he was 26-years-old, according to court information.

Records state he spoke with the girl through social media and eventually drove to Ohio to meet her in December 2022. The man met with the girl's family and gave them a fake driver's license showing he was 16-years-old.

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Arzola drove back to Texas and didn't go back to Ohio until January 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office stated. He waited until the minor's mom left for work and picked her up to drive back to Texas with him.

Mount Vernon police found the minor and Arzola at his home after they got back in Texas.

What they're saying:

"With the scope and accessibility of social media applications, predators like Arzola are every parent’s worst nightmare," said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. "Arzola’s despicable crime took online predation to a whole new level.  He invented a new identity, lied about his age, and traveled to Ohio to meet the victim and her family.  He concocted a plan to kidnap the victim under the guise of elopement and acted on it.  The sentence he received should serve as a warning to other online predators that they will get caught, and they will face justice. Parents around our country should take note of the ease with which Arzola was able to exploit technology to lure an innocent child into danger."