Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
A Texas man has admitted guilt in a federal court for his involvement in a kidnapping and alien smuggling conspiracy that led to a deadly incident in Charlottesville, Virginia. Ricardo Franco Ordaz, 26, from Cedar Creek, Texas, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to kidnap and transporting an alien resulting in death. He faces a potential life sentence.
Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee stated, "Human trafficking and human smuggling generate violence and are real threats to our community and the Justice Department will take all appropriate steps to hold accountable those who attempt to profit off of others trying to enter the country illegally."
Court documents reveal that in January 2023, Ordaz collaborated with co-defendant Jordan Perez and others to kidnap victims who had entered the U.S. illegally. The scheme involved taking two victims from near the U.S.-Mexico border to Austin, Texas, where they were held under armed guard while ransom demands were made.
Ordaz received $5,000 for one victim's release in Texas. Another victim was taken by Perez and an accomplice to Charlottesville for a $10,000 ransom exchange. A dispute over the full ransom amount led to a shootout during which one of the kidnappers was killed.
Perez is set for trial in December 2025.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, aiming to counter illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations. Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg conducted the investigation with support from local police departments and HSI Austin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is leading the prosecution.