Tessa M. Gorman, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington
A Guatemalan citizen is set to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for charges related to failing to register as a sex offender and illegally re-entering the United States after deportation. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Juan Hernandez Zacharias, aged 25, was apprehended by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) in Mason County.
Zacharias faces two felony charges. The first charge involves his failure to register or update his sex offender status, which stems from an October 2022 sentencing for first-degree child molestation. According to sentencing documents, Zacharias was required to register as a sex offender within three days of returning if he left the state; however, he allegedly failed to comply.
The second charge concerns his unauthorized return following deportation. After a removal hearing on January 2, 2024, Zacharias was ordered removed and subsequently transported back to Guatemala on February 4, 2024. Despite this order, evidence suggests that he returned to Washington by May 16, 2024, when he registered a white van under his name with Washington State plates.
On December 6, 2024, Mason County Sheriff's deputies arrested Zacharias for not registering as a sex offender. This arrest was recorded in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), alerting ICE HSI about Zacharias's standing removal order. A federal criminal complaint was filed with Magistrate Judge David W. Christal on February 21, 2025.
The potential penalties for these offenses are significant: failure to register as a sex offender carries up to ten years in prison while reentry of a removed alien could result in up to two years' imprisonment.
It is important to note that the charges against Zacharias are allegations at this stage; he remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The investigation is being conducted by ICE HSI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite alongside Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins.
