A Fresno woman pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to commit kidnapping involving a minor after authorities said she helped abduct a mother and her two children and transport the mother and one child to Mexico against their will.

Claudia Gonzales, 39, entered the plea in federal court, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, the case began May 8, 2024, after a woman reported her boyfriend following a domestic violence incident that led to his arrest. In retaliation, the boyfriend’s sister, Rosa Ventura, 35, persuaded the woman to place her 5-month-old daughter in the care of another sister.

Ventura, with Gonzales hiding in the back of an SUV, then drove the woman and her 9-year-old daughter to a field outside Fresno. Gonzales later emerged from the vehicle’s cargo area and sat in the front seat as the two women drove the victims overnight toward the Mexican border, authorities said.

At a gas station stop, the mother and child attempted to flee. Prosecutors said Gonzales chased the 9-year-old girl and forced her back into the vehicle. Gonzales and Ventura then caught the mother and used a stun gun to force her back into the SUV.

The pair eventually drove to Tijuana, Mexico, where they dropped the mother and daughter at a bus station in an effort to prevent the mother from testifying in the domestic violence case, according to court documents.

The 5-month-old remained in Fresno and out of the mother’s custody from May 8, 2024, until November 2024.

Gonzales is scheduled to be sentenced May 18, while Ventura’s trial is set for April 23. Both face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine if convicted.

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