A Rio Grande City man will spend five years in federal prison. He tried to get sex photos. He thought he was talking to a 13 year old girl.

Jorge Alberto Bazan is 32. He is from Rio Grande City. A judge gave him his sentence this week. He got 60 months in prison. That is 5 years. He will also get 5 more years of watch time once he is out. During that time he cannot use the internet freely. He cannot be near kids.

This case hits close to home. It shows how FBI agents work online to stop predators. Bazan lived right here in Starr County. It shows how these crimes can start with just one text.

Judge Randy Crane gave the sentence. He works in the Southern District of Texas. Bazan had already said he was guilty. He said so on May 27, 2026. His charge was sexual exploitation of minors. That is a federal crime. It means trying to get nude photos of a kid.

Here is what court papers say. From Sept 12 to Sept 24 last year, Bazan sent texts on social media. He thought he was talking to a 13 year old girl. He was wrong. He was talking to an undercover agent. The agent was posing as a kid online.

Bazan said he wanted sex acts with the "child." He asked for nude photos. He told the "child" how to send the pics. Then he said to delete them so no one would know.

FBI agents in McAllen ran the case. They work under a plan called Project Safe Childhood. The plan links federal, state, and local cops. Its goal: find people who prey on kids online. Agents found Bazan through a 2025 online probe.

Alexa D. Parcell took the case to court. She is a U.S. Attorney. She works in the Southern District of Texas. That area covers Starr County and much of South Texas.

Bazan must now sign up as a sex offender. His name and home area will go on a public list. Local cops will track him for years.

He sits in jail right now. He waits to be moved to a federal prison. Once there, he will serve his full 60 month term.

Project Safe Childhood began years back. It is a nationwide push. The goal is plain. Find people who use the web to target kids. Stop them first. Agents may pose online as kids to catch these predators.

Cases like this keep popping up. Kids use apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok all day. Predators know this. Some use fake names. Some lie about who they are to get close to kids.

Parents in Starr County can act now. Ask your kids who they text online. Watch for adults who tell kids to keep secrets. Tell police or the FBI if something feels wrong.

For now, this part of the case is done. Bazan will do his prison time. Then he faces 5 more years of watch time. His web use and time near kids will stay limited that whole time.

El Tejano will track cases like this one. Crimes against kids matter to every family in the Valley. This sentence sends a clear message. These crimes bring real prison time.