Fort Worth, Texas — A high-stakes transnational extortion and kidnapping scheme unraveled in a federal courtroom this week as Nygul Anderson, 19, and Albert Gonzalez, 18, were convicted following a one-day bench trial before U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. The pair now face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on a single count of conspiracy to use an interstate facility to commit a travel act violation, a charge stemming from their role in orchestrating a harrowing ransom plot that spanned the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to evidence presented by federal prosecutors, the terror began on September 22, 2017, when a Fort Worth man received a chilling call from an unknown Mexican number. The caller claimed he had kidnapped the victim’s two brothers in Rioverde, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and demanded $300,000. When the family balked, the ransom dropped to $40,000, then $20,000. After the victim delivered the money, the brothers were found bound and alive in a Rioverde motel room — proof the threat was no hoax.
But the nightmare wasn’t over. On September 29, 2017, the same number rang again. This time, the caller demanded $100,000 more, threatening to re-kidnap and execute the brothers if the sum wasn’t paid by October 13. Law enforcement, now involved, set up a controlled drop at a Home Depot in Fort Worth — the site the kidnappers themselves had chosen for the handoff.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on October 13, 2017, the trap was sprung. Anderson, Gonzalez, Fernando Cabrera — who has already pled guilty — and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested as they attempted to retrieve the $20,000 ransom. All four had driven from McAllen to Houston, then Dallas, and finally Fort Worth, coordinating throughout the journey with co-conspirators in Mexico about pickup logistics, cash amount, and evasion tactics.
The FBI and North Richland Hills Police Department led the investigation, exposing a tightly coordinated criminal network that exploited fear, family ties, and cross-border communication to carry out its scheme. Prosecutors, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and Chris Wolfe, proved the defendants knowingly participated in collecting illicit proceeds, believing the money was real and the kidnapping credible.
Judge O’Connor has yet to rule on two additional counts pending in the case. For now, Anderson and Gonzalez remain in federal custody, their futures hanging on sentencing. U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox reaffirmed the government’s resolve: ‘Extortion schemes that terrorize families will be met with full federal force — no matter where the calls originate or where the money moves.’
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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