Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
McALLEN, Texas – A 27-year-old Pharr man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of hostage taking, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Sixto Gonzalez Jr. pleaded guilty May 15, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 240 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Gonzalez’s prior violent criminal history and attempts to bribe a correctional guard while he was in custody for the instant offense. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of the crime, injuries the victim sustained and Gonzalez’s continued engagement in criminal conduct.
“The victim in this case was lured into Mexico because Gonzalez assumed that authorities wouldn’t bother to invest resources into a kidnapping that occurred there,” said Hamdani. “The United States will continue to work with law enforcement authorities around the world to protect American citizens abroad and bring to justice those that think foreign ground is a safe haven from prosecution.”
“U.S. citizens deserve to be safe from violence, no matter where they are,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “The FBI relentlessly works to protect the American people whether they are here or abroad – and we do so with vigor, commitment and determination. We hope this sentence provides the victim some measure of comfort. As always, the public is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online at tips.fbi.gov if they have information about violent crimes or other crimes against Americans overseas.”
Gonzalez admitted he unlawfully detained a 19-year-old Alamo man to force a ransom to be paid for his safe return.
On June 23, 2021, Gonzalez lured the victim into Mexico by purporting to have a potential job opportunity to give him. Gonzalez picked the victim up after the victim crossed into Mexico on foot. When they arrived at a house located in Reynosa, Mexico, Gonzalez and several co-conspirators beat and restrained the victim. Between June 23 and June 25, 2021, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators demanded $5,000 and a firearm in exchange for his return.
When the family could not immediately obtain the funds, conspirators sent a video to the victim’s family with footage of him being beaten with a wooden board until the board fractured.
Law enforcement eventually determined the location of the house where he was being held. They conducted a search of the home and found the victim bound with zip ties, covered with a blanket and with bruises throughout his body. They also discovered Gonzalez located inside the house.
Gonzalez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Reynosa State police in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colton Turner and Roberto Lopez prosecuted the case.
Updated January 14, 2025
