Honduran Sexual Predator Sentenced for Trafficking Minor from Mexico

DEL RIO, Texas – A Honduran national was sentenced Thursday to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

According to court documents, Onilson Dario Juarez-Mendez, 41, illegally entered the United States by wading across the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas, in November 2019, accompanied by a juvenile female. The girl denied Juarez-Mendez's claims that she was his stepdaughter and stated that he had been sexually assaulting her along their trip.  An investigation verified her claims and revealed that Juarez-Mendez had been extorting the girl's mother for payment to deliver her to the U.S.

“This case illustrates the lengths and degrees this office will go to seek justice for the victims of heinous crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas.  “I'd like to express my appreciation for the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol, whose tireless work in this case made this successful prosecution possible.”

“This case is a stark reminder of just how callous human smugglers can be when it comes to exploiting individuals for money whether they are adults or minors,” said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Alejandro Amaro of HSI in Laredo.  “This human smuggler pretended to be a relative and then used extortion methods to attempt to obtain money from the family.  It clearly illustrates how criminals will illegally smuggle people for personal profit ahead of public safety.  This is why HSI continues to work aggressively to bring smugglers to justice.”

HSI and U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Banister prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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