Five Southern California men accused of kidnapping migrants and holding them for ransom are facing a federal indictment, prosecutors announced Monday.
The defendants — who include men from Hemet, Los Angeles, San Jacinto, Palmdale and Oak Hills — have been charged with hostage taking, kidnapping and transporting illegal aliens for private financial gain, among other charges.
Four of the men — Miguel Angel Avila, Omar Avila Salmeron, Jose Jaime Garcia and Jose Algredo Moreno Gonzalez — have been arrested, while a fifth man — Gabriel Michel Becerra — is currently a fugitive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal prosecutors allege that Avila on March 21, 2023 told Moreno to drive to a gas station in Chandler, Arizona, where they say Moreno kidnapped four migrants and took them to a restaurant in Burbank.
Prosecutors say Avila — as well as Garcia and Becerra — held the migrants hostage in a home while demanding ransom money from family members in exchange for their release. Three of the alleged hostages were later moved to a motel room.
One of the migrants was able to escape through a second-story bathroom window at the motel, prosecutors say, and was chased by Avila to a nearby store in Koreatown. Prosecutors allege that Avila body-slammed the man, put him in a chokehold and punched him repeatedly in the face during an assault within the store.
After the attempted escape, prosecutors say Avila, Garcia and Becerra restrained the victims by tying their hands, took them to another home and threatened them with violence if they tried to get away.
Avila, Garcia and Becerra later took $11,000in cash from one of the migrant’s family members in exchange for their release, prosecutors said.
“Human smuggling is a dangerous crime,” United States Attorney Tara McGrath said in a written statement. “These defendants will face justice for abusing vulnerable migrants for profit.”
If convicted, the defendants face up to life in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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