Jesus Manuel Ramirez, Hostage Taking, Texas 2016

TEXAS MAN CONVICTED OF HOSTAGE TAKING

In a shocking turn of events, a federal jury has convicted Jesus Manuel Ramirez, 32, of Pharr, Texas, of hostage taking and harboring aliens. The conviction comes after a trial where witnesses, including the two Honduran nationals who were held captive, took the stand.

The two victims testified that on May 4, 2014, Ramirez and several co-conspirators, including Alfredo Jaime Balli, 26, Jose Angel Mayorga, 21, and Gustavo Hernandez-Castro, 29, began threatening and beating them because their families had not paid their smuggling fees. The family members of the victims were also threatened and extorted for money.

One of the co-conspirators made phone calls to the family members, warning them that if they didn’t pay up, the men would be beaten or killed. When the families failed to pay, Ramirez became enraged and ordered a co-conspirator to restrain the men. Both were tied up and beaten, with one of the beatings recorded by a family member over the phone and played for the jury.

The victims also testified that a co-conspirator attempted to sodomize one of the men while they were being held captive. Eventually, one of the men managed to escape and contact his brother, who was working with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Long Island, New York.

HSI agents rescued one of the men and followed him to the apartment where he had been held against his will. The agents found the second Honduran national, who was dressed only in boxers. The co-conspirators, including Balli, Mayorga, and Hernandez, were arrested at the scene, while Ramirez was arrested in August 2016 when he tried to cross into the United States from Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has set sentencing for July 3, 2017. Ramirez faces up to life in federal prison for the hostage taking conviction and up to 10 years for harboring illegal aliens. Both convictions also carry a possible penalty of $250,000. Ramirez has been in custody without bond since his arrest and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

Balli, Mayorga, and Hernandez have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 216, 240, and 120 months in prison, respectively. The investigation was conducted by HSI in McAllen and Long Island, New York, in conjunction with the Pharr Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Leo III and Linda Requénez are prosecuting the case.

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