Former IB Border Agent Gets Prison for Child Porn, Selling Gear on eBay

A former Border Patrol agent convicted of stealing government property and having child pornography on a computer was sentenced Monday to more than three years in federal prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Rodolfo Zuniga, 34, was convicted of possessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, theft of government property and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

According to a plea agreement, Zuniga was assigned to the Border Patrol's Imperial Beach station between November 2009 and March 2010. While there, Zuniga was an advisor to Explorer Scouts, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America, and had access to Border Patrol equipment, including night-vision goggles and global positioning system units.

Explorer Scouts under Zuniga's supervision occasionally used that equipment in their training.   

Zuniga stole four sets of night-vision goggles and one GPS unit, later selling them on eBay, according to the plea agreement. Someone in China paid Zuniga via PayPal Inc., prosecutors said.   

The total for the goggles–which were not recovered–was $9,937. The GPS unit was sold to a New Jersey couple for $77.73. It was recovered.

On June 29, federal agents served a search warrant at Zuniga's Chula Vista apartment, seizing a desktop computer and external hard drive. An analysis of the computer and hard drive show it contained 384 visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the plea agreement stated.

Zuniga was arrested and resigned from the Border Patrol two weeks later.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff sentenced Zuniga to 37 months in custody and ordered him to pay restitution to the government.

–City News Service