2 Riverside County Men Accused Of Kidnapping Migrants For Ransom Money

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two Riverside County men are among five defendants accused by federal authorities of kidnapping migrants and holding them for ransom.

Miguel Angel Avila, 22, of Hemet, and Jose Jaime Garcia, 20, of San Jacinto, are each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage-taking, two counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, two counts of transporting illegal aliens for private financial gain, and two counts of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion and attempted interference with commerce by extortion, according to a grand jury indictment.

According to the July 30 indictment, on March 21, 2023, Avila instructed another co-defendant, 21-year-old Jose Alfredo Moreno Gonzalez of Oak Hill, to drive to a Chevron gas station in Chandler, Arizona, to kidnap migrants.

Once there, Moreno Gonzalez allegedly took four migrants hostage and transported them to a restaurant in Burbank.

The hostages were moved to a house and were held by Avila and Garcia, along with another co-defendant, Gabriel Michel Becerra, 22, of Palmdale.

Using the victims' cellphones, Avila called the hostages' families, demanding ransom money in exchange for their release.

The alleged kidnappers continued moving the hostages around the region, and, at one point, a victim escaped in Los Angeles County.

The hostage was chased into a Koreatown store by Avila and one of the co-conspirators. Inside the business, Avila body-slammed the victim, placed him in a chokehold, and punched him repeatedly in the face, according to federal authorities.

With the attempted escape, the alleged kidnappers became more violent, threatening the hostages with harm if they tried to run away, authorities said.

The alleged kidnappers cashed in on at least one hostage. On March 23, 2023, Avila, Garcia, and Becerra allegedly drove a hostage to a gas station, where they took $11,000 cash from the victim's brother in exchange for release.

Federal authorities dismantled the alleged kidnapping ring, though details were not provided. All of the accused, except Becerra, were arrested. He is currently a fugitive, according to authorities.

If convicted of all charges, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.