Palmview man sentenced to life for sexually coercing minor relative

A 35-year-old Mexican man living in Palmview illegally has been sentenced to life in prison for coercing a minor family member and producing child sexual abuse material that he shared on various social media platforms.

Jesus Adrian Barrazaa-Vega, who pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct. 9, was sentenced on Tuesday.

The investigation began on July 3, 2023 when authorities in New York discovered the child sexual abuse material being sent to an 8-year-old minor, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

“A review of the conversation revealed the minor victim had sent sexually explicit photos of herself to an unknown individual using TextNow and WhatsApp,” the release stated. “During the course of the conversation, the individual pretended to be a 13-year-old male.”

He sent the child sexually explicit images and messages, including requests for sexual acts.

Law enforcement tracked the messages to Barraza-Vega’s residence in Palmview and investigators used further means to link the accounts to the man and the minor victim in New York, according to the release.

In February 2024, investigators executed a search warrant for his cellphone and extracted child sexual abuse material that included videos and images of his minor relative that showed them engaging in various sexual acts from around Nov. 11, 2020 to Jan. 18, 2024.

During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton heard from the minor victim, who was present with family, via a letter that described the harm he had caused her.

“In addition, the court heard that Barraza-Vega’s ongoing abuse of a minor family member continued until just days before his encounter with law enforcement,” the release stated.

Tipton also ordered the man to pay his victim $3,000 in restitution and ordered a total of $60,000 in fines.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a statement that it’s his office’s sincere hope that the victim can have some measure of peace.

“Crimes against children committed in the Southern District of Texas will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The life sentence handed down today against Mr. Barraza-Vega should be a warning to other would-be abusers,” Ganjei said.

Aaron Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, said children deserve to be safe.

“Whether online or in their own homes, we all have a duty to protect those most vulnerable to exploitation,” Tapp said in a statement. “The FBI works day and night to ensure predators like this are brought to justice. We hope this sentence might bring some sense of closure and healing for the victims and their families.”

The post Palmview man sentenced to life for sexually coercing minor relative appeared first on MyRGV.com.