A Mexican national living in Texas has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in an armed kidnapping scheme. The man, Agustin Sergio Deleon Garza, helped the organized criminals in Mexico who kidnapped the the victim. He made the calls to relatives demanding the ransom money. The FBI and DEA led the effort to find and capture the heinous felon.
According to the FBI:
On January 15, 2015, a jury found Deleon Garza guilty of one count of conspiracy to kidnap; one count of aiding and abetting kidnapping; two counts of receipt of ransom money; one count of interstate communication of ransom; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; and, one count of aiding and abetting money laundering.
Evidence presented during trial revealed that on December 27, 2013, Jorge Luis Martin Cavazos Cantu was kidnapped from his Monterrey, Mexico residence by several men. While Cantu was in the custody of his abductors in Mexico, Deleon Garza placed several phone calls from Bexar County [San Antonio, Texas area] to Cantu’s family seeking ransom. In each call, Deleon Garza used a cellphone app which disguised his voice and his location. Cantu was released on January 29, 2014, after the ransom was paid.
Authorities did not say whether the Mexican National was in the U.S. illegally or whether he was allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. with a VISA.
Breitbart Texas reached out to the FBI for comment, but they were unable to answer questions at this time, as is customary in the initial aftermath of a sentencing.
Kidnapping has increased as a funding mechanism for Mexican cartels in recent years, both in the U.S. and in Mexico.
Follow Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby on Twitter: @BrandonDarby
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.