Former Texas Top 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrant Sentenced

AUSTIN, TX — A Honduran national previously listed among Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants has been sentenced to 38 years in prison after being convicted of continuous sexual assault of a child in Harris County, authorities said.

Jose Miguel Zelaya-Ponce, 22, was found guilty on enhanced charges and sentenced Jan. 13, 2026, to confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The case began in July 2024 when the Texas Rangers received information from U.S. Border Patrol regarding a possible human smuggling incident near Sierra Blanca involving a woman and two juveniles, including an 11-year-old girl who was pregnant. During the investigation, the driver admitted she was in the United States illegally with her sons, one of whom was later identified as Zelaya-Ponce, who was living in Houston. Investigators determined he had impregnated the child.

The driver was arrested on a charge of human smuggling of a minor, and a warrant was issued for Zelaya-Ponce’s arrest in Harris County.

In August 2024, Zelaya-Ponce was added to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants list. He was captured Aug. 23, 2024, in Houston by DPS Criminal Investigations Division agents assigned to the Texas Anti-Gang Center, with assistance from the Texas Rangers and Texas Highway Patrol.

Authorities said DNA testing later confirmed Zelaya-Ponce was the biological father of the victim’s child. Further investigation revealed the victim had been living with him in Houston and had been subjected to ongoing sexual abuse.

DPS credited multiple agencies — including Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification — for assisting in the investigation.

The Texas 10 Most Wanted program, funded by the Governor’s Public Safety Office, offers rewards through Texas Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest of listed fugitives, sex offenders and criminal illegal immigrants.