Honduran college student in San Antonio pleads guilty to receiving child pornography

SAN ANTONIO – A Honduran man living in the United States on a student visa will serve 10 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to receiving child pornography, announced Robert Pitman, Western District of Texas.

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of San Antonio Police Department, Midland College, and University of Texas (San Antonio) Police Department.

Selvan Otomon Zuniga-Arita, 27, of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, admitted that on Feb. 21, 2010, he knowingly received materials which depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. According to court documents, in early 2010, a USB drive containing 22 videos depicting child pornography was turned in to the lost and found at Midland College. In late 2011, after no one claimed the device, college officials attempted to identify the rightful owner. After discovering its contents, college authorities turned the device over to law enforcement. Subsequent investigation revealed that the USB drive belonged to Zuniga-Arita, a former Midland College student who had since transferred to the University of Texas in San Antonio.

In November 2011, HSI arrested Zuniga-Arita in San Antonio. As a result of a consensual search, authorities discovered additional child pornography files on Zuniga-Arita's laptop computer. The newly discovered child pornography consisted of video files of at least one minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct recorded by Zuniga-Arita while accessing an Internet video chat forum through a Facebook application.

Zuniga-Arita remains in federal custody pending sentencing in Midland scheduled for June 15. As part of the plea agreement, Zuniga-Arita has agreed to serve 10 years in federal prison for his crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin M. Berry, Western District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.

HSI encourages the public to report any suspected criminal activity involving sexual exploitation by calling their local HSI office or the national hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or via its online tip form.