Six men from South Texas were charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced on March 20. The arrests followed an undercover operation conducted by law enforcement between March 17 and March 19.
The charges are significant as they highlight ongoing efforts to combat child sexual exploitation in the region. Authorities identified the suspects as Porfirio Palacios of San Juan, Ricardo De La Rosa of Pharr, Colin Alexander McLean of McAllen, Antonio Basaldua Rocha of Edinburg, Henry Martinez Lopez of Rio Grande City, and Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas, a Honduran national residing illegally in Donna.
According to the criminal complaints, each man allegedly believed he was communicating online with a 16-year-old girl and discussed engaging in sexual activities. The complaints state that all six went to prearranged locations expecting to meet the minor for sex. “A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law,” the release said.
If convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life in federal prison and could be fined up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation with help from the Edinburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Alexis Garcia, Sarina S. DiPiazza and Alexa D. Parcell are prosecuting these cases under Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas has included notable figures such as Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick among its former leaders according to the official history page. The office operates out of Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville as described on its official website. It is part of the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General according to its official website, employs more than 200 attorneys covering 43 counties with over nine million residents as detailed on its official website, focuses on prosecuting federal crimes and handling civil cases for the government according to its official website, and has had leaders including Alamdar Hamdani serving from 2022 to 2025 as noted on its official history page.
Authorities encourage those seeking more information about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources to visit DOJ’s PSC page.
