A man from Mount Vernon, Texas, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Zachary Arzola, aged 28, admitted guilt to charges of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. On June 5, 2025, he received a sentence of 240 months in federal prison from U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III.
Court documents revealed that Arzola first contacted a minor online in September 2022 when he was 26 and the victim was 14. Communication continued via social media applications, leading Arzola to travel to Ohio in December 2022 to meet the victim and her family under false pretenses. He presented an altered driver's license claiming he was 16 years old. After returning briefly to Texas, Arzola went back to Ohio in January 2023, took the victim from her home without her family's knowledge, and brought her back to Texas. The Mount Vernon Police located them at Arzola's residence soon after their arrival.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs commented on the case: "With the scope and accessibility of social media applications, predators like Arzola are every parent’s worst nightmare." He added that "the sentence he received should serve as a warning to other online predators that they will get caught, and they will face justice."
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaborative efforts across various levels of law enforcement.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division, Mount Vernon Police Department, and Clermont County Sheriff's Office in Ohio. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Austin Wells prosecuted the case.
