U.S. District Judge James V. Selna last Monday handed a 270-month sentence to Gustavo Deluna, 35, of Compton, giving him 22½ years in federal prison for the Jan. 16, 2024 kidnapping of a woman in the city of Orange. Deluna had pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one federal count of kidnapping, and prosecutors and court filings say the victim suffered serious injuries during the ordeal.
Federal court records show prosecutors pushed for 293 months while the probation office suggested 288, but the judge ultimately settled on 270 months, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Those filings describe a ransom-driven crime and detail deep lacerations to the victim’s left hand and wrist, and they also lay out how both sides tried to sway the court as Selna weighed a multidecade term.
In a post on X via FBI Los Angeles, the bureau highlighted the sentence and recapped key points from the federal case file. It is the most recent federal public acknowledgment tied to the kidnapping.
How investigators say the abduction unfolded
Prosecutors told the court that the victim was lured through a dating app, then forced into a vehicle and taken to a secondary location where suspects demanded payment, as reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles. Court papers note that Deluna was not tagged as the ringleader, and authorities say the investigation into additional participants is still active. Those details were central to how both the government and the defense framed their sentencing arguments.
Legal context
The December 2025 plea covered a single federal kidnapping count. Because prosecutors linked the offense to violence and a ransom scheme, they argued for a multidecade sentence that matched the level of harm, according to MyNewsLA. Probation backed a slightly lower term, but Selna’s final number still came in below the prosecution’s request while underscoring what the court described as the brutality of the crime.
What’s next
Deluna will be moved into the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence, and under the federal system he is expected to serve most of the 22½-year term, with only limited credit available for good conduct. Prosecutors and investigators say their probe into any potential co-conspirators is ongoing, and they have signaled that more developments could emerge as the case shifts fully into the post-sentencing phase.
