Mexican national Cristian Ortiz Coronado, 31, was arraigned Thursday on a six-count indictment charging him with kidnapping, hostage taking, and transporting illegal immigrants, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release.
Coronado was indicted on Nov. 9 by a federal grand jury in Fresno.
According to court documents, Ortiz Coronado was hired to be a “coyote” and deliver a family to Fresno after they illegally crossed the border from Mexico in August. When Ortiz Coronado picked the family up — including a mother, her 4-year-old daughter, and her 9-year-old son — he locked the doors and wouldn’t let them leave the vehicle.
Demanded a $21,000 Ransom: Prosecutors
Prosecutors say that Ortiz Coronado then demanded an additional $21,000 from relatives before he would release the family in Fresno
When relatives didn’t hand over the ransom and tried to block Ortiz Coronado from driving away, he allegedly rammed a relative’s vehicle and the children’s father. Then he sped off with the mother and son, leaving the 4-year-old behind.
Fresno police tracked down Ortiz Coronado and arrested him on Aug. 25. He remains in jail on a federal marshall hold after Fresno County Judge John F. Vogt denied him bail.
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This case resulted from an investigation by the Fresno Police Department, the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and Robert Veneman-Hughes are the prosecutors.
If convicted, Ortiz Coronado faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $3 million fine.
