SAN ANTONIO – A Von Ormy man was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison after being convicted on charges of kidnapping and transporting undocumented people.
Andrew Carrillo, 30, was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury.
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Court documents stated Carrillo was an accomplice to Rosalio Cano Jr. in a case involving the smuggling and kidnapping of an undocumented person in September 2021.
The migrant had been held at Cano’s home. Both suspects drove to an Econo Lodge parking lot in San Antonio, which Carrillo had designated as the place where they would hand over the kidnapped migrant to the victim’s family in exchange for money, federal officials said.
A codefendant, Veronica Ortega, didn’t tell Carrillo she was working with an undercover officer who had accompanied the victim’s family during the exchange.
When the undercover officers handed Carrillo and Ortega $9,000 in cash, agents with Homeland Security Investigations moved in to detain all three suspects, according to federal officials.
Carrillo and Ortega were arrested, while Cano fled and was later arrested by U.S. Marshals on Oct. 14, 2021.
Carrillo pleaded guilty on Feb. 7, 2023, to both charges. On top of his 220-month prison sentence, he was ordered to pay more than $7,000 in restitution.
“The penalties in this case reflect the grave dangers of human smuggling,” said Jaime Esparza, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, in a written statement. “While restitution cannot erase the trauma kidnapping victims endure, we hope it will provide some measure of relief. We will not stop working to protect the vulnerable people who are targeted for human smuggling and will continue to aggressively prosecute offenders.”
Cano was sentenced in late December 2022 to 190 months and prison and was also ordered to pay the same amount in restitution. Ortega received 60 months of probation and was also ordered to pay restitution totaling more than $7,000.
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