RIVERSIDE, CA — A 24-year-old Hemet man who admitted his involvement in a scheme to kidnap migrants to the United States and hold them for ransom pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges.
Miguel Angel Avila was among five defendants charged in the case.
Avila pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to kidnapping and other federal counts, including conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and transporting illegal aliens for private financial gain.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison sentence of no more than 20 years at sentencing on Feb. 18.
According to his plea agreement, Avila was the leader of a human smuggling ring operating out of Hemet that transported more than 100 non- citizens who crossed into the U.S. unlawfully.
On March 22, 2023, Avila and two co-defendants moved three undocumented migrants to a motel room in Los Angeles County, where they were held against their will, according to documents filed in federal court.
One of the migrants managed to escape from the second-story motel room through a bathroom window and ran to a nearby store, prosecutors said. Avila and a female co-conspirator chased the man to the store, where Avila body- slammed the migrant to the ground, placed him in a chokehold and punched him repeatedly in the face, according to the plea agreement.
When police were called, Avila and his accomplice returned to the motel, gathered their belongings and left with the two other hostages, prosecutors said.
According to the plea agreement, Avila and accomplices took the hostages to another location in the Los Angeles, where they were held against their will until their families paid the demanded ransom.
On March 23, 2023, Avila sent two co-defendants to transport one of the hostages to a gas station in San Bernardino County, where the man's brother handed over $11,000 in cash in exchange for the victim's release.
Avila's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Also Wednesday, co-defendant Omar Avila Salmeron, 43, of South Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to federal charges before the same judge and is also set to be sentenced Feb. 18.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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