A Guatemalan citizen, Juan Hernandez Zacharias, is set to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on charges related to his failure to register as a sex offender and for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Zacharias, 25, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigation agents in Mason County.
Zacharias faces two felony charges. The first charge stems from his failure to register or update his sex offender registration following an October 2022 sentencing for first-degree child molestation. According to sentencing documents, Zacharias was required to register as a sex offender within three days of returning if he left the state, which he allegedly did not do.
The second charge involves his illegal re-entry into the United States after being deported. On January 2, 2024, an immigration court ordered Zacharias's removal, and he was deported back to Guatemala on February 4, 2024. Despite this, records show that on May 16, 2024, Zacharias registered a white van with Washington State plates under his name, suggesting his return to Washington.
On December 6, 2024, Zacharias was arrested by Mason County Sheriff’s deputies for failing to register as a sex offender. This arrest was recorded in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which alerted ICE Homeland Security Investigations about Zacharias's existing order of removal. A federal criminal complaint was subsequently filed with Magistrate Judge David W. Christal on February 21, 2025.
Failure to register or update sex offender registration carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison. Reentry of a removed alien can result in up to two years in prison.
It is important to note that the charges in the criminal complaint are allegations at this stage. An individual is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins are prosecuting the case.