United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS
FRISCO, TEXAS, MAN ON CHILD PORN CHARGES

Eight-Count Indictment Charges Enticement of a Child and
Production, Possession and Transportation of Child Pornography

A federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas, returned an indictment yesterday charging Joshua Heath Zuniga with various counts of child pornography and child enticement. Specifically, the grand jury charged Zuniga, age, 24, with one count of enticement of a child, three counts of production of child pornography, three counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Zuniga, formerly of Houston, Texas, but currently a resident of Frisco, Texas, was released on personal recognizance bond after he surrendered to federal authorities late last month after learning a federal arrest warrant was issued for him on charges outlined in a criminal complaint.

The charges in the indictment are the result of an individual contacting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in December 2005 after finding evidence of inappropriate communications between her 13 year-old daughter and Zuniga. The individual who reported this activity also advised the FBI that she had just learned that her daughter and Zuniga had been having a sexual relationship and he had caused her to send him sexually explicit images and video of herself via the Internet. At the time of the report, “Jane Doe” was a student at a junior high school in Lubbock.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. However, if convicted on all counts, Joshua Heath Zuniga faces a maximum statutory sentence of 190 years.

U.S. Attorney Roper commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lubbock Police Department, and the Frisco Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven M. Sucsy, of the Lubbock, Texas, United States Attorney's Office.

# # #