McAlLEN, Texas – Gilbert John Montez, a 24-year-old Edinburg resident, has been sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for his role in the kidnapping of a four-year-old. Montez was one of several individuals involved in a conspiracy to commit hostage taking, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
According to court documents, Montez pleaded guilty on April 24, 2023, to his involvement in the kidnapping. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Montez to serve 200 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court noted that Montez can be held accountable for the actions of all the participants involved in the criminal enterprise.
The court further stated that the child was being used as a piece of property with value and could be used for profit. Montez targeted a vulnerable family and leveraged a young child’s safety and a parent’s love to extort money. He put profit before people and only cared about making more money.
The investigation revealed that Montez recruited and hired individuals to transport and hold the child for ransom. The child was taken from his mother at a Mission, Texas, house on March 31, 2022, and was passed from person to person until he was finally located in Stafford, Texas. The child’s father was contacted and informed that his son would not be released until he paid $4,500.
Montez hired Carlos Oyervides to help collect the ransom payment and deliver the child to his father. However, authorities learned of the scheme and attempted to make arrangements with Oyervides and Ortiz-De Leon for the release of the child, but failed. They then tracked them down to an apartment complex in Stafford, took them into custody, and located the child.
The others involved in the scheme all pleaded guilty to their varying roles and have also been ordered to prison. Montez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Mission Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case. The exact criminal charges against Montez were conspiracy to commit hostage taking. The city and state involved were McAllen, Texas. The exact date of the crime was March 31, 2022, and Montez was sentenced on a later date. The sentence or outcome was 200 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The dollar amount involved in the ransom was $4,500. Montez’s crime was a serious violation of a child’s safety and well-being.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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