Jury convicted Othon Jorge Zamarripa on two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor following a multi-day trial in Albuquerque

Organ Mountain News report

ALBUQUERQUE - A federal judge has sentenced an Anthony man to life in prison after a jury convicted him of multiple child exploitation offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

Othon Jorge Zamarripa, 35, was convicted on July 28 following a multi-day federal trial. A jury found him guilty of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, Zamarripa will serve a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Zamarripa abused his position of trust as a caregiver between 2018 and 2022. Prosecutors said he coerced minors into illegal sexual activity through manipulation, threats, physical abuse and the use of online pornography to exert control and maintain secrecy.

The court imposed a life sentence based on the severity of the offenses, the length of time over which they occurred and the harm caused to the victims.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Ryan G. McRae, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, announced the sentence Wednesday.

Homeland Security Investigations El Paso led the investigation with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Las Cruces Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Autrey Stahl and Jackson K. Dering V as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse and identifying and rescuing victims.