Two men sentenced for kidnapping and human smuggling scheme

ALBUQUERQUE - Two Guatemalan nationals were sentenced to prison for orchestrating a ransom scheme in which they held 11 undocumented immigrants captive residence and extorted their families under threats of violence and cartel retaliation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, the FBI received a kidnapping complaint on March 1, 2025, alleging that the family of an undocumented immigrant was being extorted for ransom under threats of violence and cartel involvement. Agents traced the ransom calls to a residence in southwest Albuquerque and executed a search warrant.

Inside the home, agents discovered 11 undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, including one unaccompanied minor. They also recovered more than 20 cell phones and a ledger documenting smuggling activity. Two Guatemalan nationals, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar, were identified as the captors. Victims reported that Jose and Gaspar locked them in rooms, confiscated their shoes and phones, and threatened them with violence.

Jose and Gaspar subsequently pled guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens. Jose was sentenced to 22 months in prison, and Gaspar was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Upon their release from custody, both will be subject to deportation.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.