Hector Jose Lopez, Extortion, Texas 2021

Crime Wave Hits Laredo: Hector Jose Lopez Sentenced to 96 Months

Laredo residents are reeling as Hector Jose Lopez, 31, has been ordered to federal prison for aiding and abetting in the transmission of messages threatening to extort money from another. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed down the 96-month term of imprisonment on Lopez, who pleaded guilty on September 29, 2021.

Nancy Yvette Garcia, 33, also received a harsh sentence. Garcia, who is currently on supervised release for a 2018 conviction for conspiracy to transport aliens, was ordered to serve 188 months in prison. She will also serve an additional four months, which will be served concurrently to the current offense. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences.

The extortion scheme unfolded on January 26, 2021, when a marijuana deal involving a 16-year-old male went awry. Shortly thereafter, Garcia and another individual took him to Lopez’s apartment. Garcia claimed they needed to keep him hostage in order to get their marijuana or money back. Lopez held him there in exchange for $500.

Lopez admitted he asked the victim for some of his login information stored on his phone, which he then sent to Garcia via WhatsApp. The victim was then subjected to a terrifying ordeal, with someone posting photographs to his Facebook account showing visible injuries and referencing what happens to people who steal. The victim’s mother received a message on Facebook Messenger accusing her son of stealing marijuana, followed by a phone call from a Mexican phone number demanding $30,000 for the release of her son.

Throughout the day, the mother received text messages or phone calls asking about the status of the ransom and was told her son would be killed if the demand wasn’t met. Fortunately, the victim managed to escape and contact law enforcement on January 28, 2021.

The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Bajew prosecuted the case. Lopez and Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

According to court documents, Lopez and Garcia used WhatsApp to send threatening messages to the victim’s family, putting them in a state of fear and terror. The extortion scheme was a brazen and reckless attempt to extort money from an innocent family.

As U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery noted, Lopez should have made better choices if he wanted to live in the free world. Judge Marmolejo echoed these sentiments, stating that Lopez had no respect for the law or humanity.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/laredo-residents-sent-prison-extortion-scheme