A former U.S. Border Patrol agent from Chula Vista surrendered March 1 to a Texas federal prison to start serving his 37-month sentence for possession of child pornography and theft of government property.
Rodolfo Zuniga, 34, had been free on $40,000 bond after his Jan. 14 sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Huff, but she set a March 1 deadline for his surrender. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Peak said Zuniga showed up as scheduled on Friday.
Zuniga will serve his sentence at the Beaumont, Texas, prison for low security inmates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.
He pleaded guilty to possessing images of minors in sexually explicit conduct which were found on his desktop computer at his Chula Vista home.
Zuniga also pleaded guilty to selling night vision goggles and global positioning system units on the Internet shopping website eBay. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he received $9,937 from someone in China for the night vision goggles.
Federal agents were unable to get the night vision goggles back. Zuniga sold the GPS units to a New Jersey couple for $77 and agents were able to retrieve them. Huff ordered Zuniga to repay $9,937 to the government in restitution.
Zuniga was assigned to the Imperial Beach border station while he was employed. He resigned from the Border Patrol on July 16, 2012; he was an agent for nearly three years.
