
A Pharr man has been sentenced to a lengthy term in federal prison after pleading guilty to a brutal kidnapping for ransom scheme in Mexico. According to a recent Department of Justice release, 27-year-old Sixto Gonzalez Jr. was given a 20-year prison sentence following his guilty plea for hostage taking.
Gonzalez's crime, notably committed across the border, highlights a darker facet of international affairs where the sanctity of life is bartered for profit. The U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani noted during the sentencing that Gonzalez lured his victim to Mexico under false pretenses, believing authorities would turn a blind eye. Instead, Gonzalez now faces two decades behind bars, with the court having considered his past criminal history and attempts to corrupt a correctional officer while in custody.
The victim, a 19-year-old man from Alamo, was duped into thinking he was crossing into Mexico for a job opportunity in June 2021. Upon arrival, he was violently beaten and held for ransom by Gonzalez and accomplices, as revealed during the investigation. The brutal nature of the crime was further underscored when the family, unable to meet the ransom demand promptly, received a video showing their loved one being beaten with a board.
Rescue came only after law enforcement, working with Mexican authorities, pinpointed the location in Reynosa, Mexico, where the hostage was found injured and zip-tied but alive. Found amidst this scene of misery, Gonzalez awaited his fate which has since been handed down. "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," said Hamdani in the statement obtained by the Department of Justice.
FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp emphasized the FBI's relentless pursuit of justice for Americans subjected to violence, regardless of location. "The FBI relentlessly works to protect the American people whether they are here or abroad - and we do so with vigor, commitment, and determination," Tapp articulated, hoping the sentence dispensed a measure of solace to the victim. The FBI encourages the public to report information about crimes against Americans overseas to 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
Gonzalez is now detained, awaiting transfer to a federal prison facility. His capture and conviction were a collaborative effort involving the FBI and state police from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colton Turner and Roberto Lopez prosecuting the case.