A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a 35-year-old man who has a history of sex crimes against children to 15 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed down the sentence against Jose Ricardo Zamora-Ibarra, who was living in the country illegally in Palmview.
On Dec. 14, 2021, Zamora pleaded guilty to obtaining child pornography and illegally re-entering the country after previously being deported.
Zamora reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to recommend a downward departure in his sentencing for acceptance of responsibility.
In a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, officials said Zamora admitted to downloading more than 250 files of child sexual abuse material utilizing a peer-to-peer platform.
Investigators recovered his laptop computer and an external hard drive, which is where authorities found videos and images depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the release.
“Zamora-Ibarra saved the child pornography onto his devices into created files named ‘preteen boy sex’ and ‘preteen girl sex,’” the release stated.
The Texas Department of Public Safety previously arrested Zamora in March 2018 on charges of online solicitation of a minor and two counts of sexual assault of a child.
The news release stated he was convicted of sexual assault of a child and deported.
Because that case involves a minor, the details aren’t immediately available through online court records from Hidalgo County.
Federal authorities then arrested Zamora on June 9, 2021 after he illegally re-entered the country.
The complaint said he claimed to have re-entered the country near Sullivan City in March 2020.
He had been initially deported Jan. 28, 2020.
Zamora, however, is not likely headed to a federal prison anytime soon.
Hidalgo County court records indicate he was indicted for theft on March 3, 2020.
The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office issued an amended indictment in the case on April 4.
That indictment alleges he stole more than $2,500, but less than $30,000 from an elderly person through deception.
The initial federal complaint for illegal re-entry noted that on Oct. 17, 2019, he was sentenced to seven years of deferred adjudication for the charge of sexual assault of a child.
By being arrested and convicted in federal court, he has likely violated the terms of his deferred adjudication and will likely be re-sentenced for the charge.
At the conclusion of his prison term, he will likely be deported again.
