A man involved in a failed kidnapping scheme, that ended in shootout in a quiet Charlottesville neighborhood when demands were not met, pled guilty today to federal charges.
Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, faced one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death.
According to court records, in January 2023, Perez, and co-defendant Ricardo Franco-Ordaz, of Cedar Creek, Texas, and other co-conspirators, kidnapped two individuals who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally.
Ordaz picked up the two victims from an area near the U.S.-Mexico border and brought them to a house near Austin, Texas, where they were held against their will with an armed guard, according to the Department of Justice.
Ordaz called and messaged the victims’ families and friends and demanded a cash ransom in exchange for their release.
The first exchange was in Texas for $5,000.
On Jan. 8, 2023, Perez and another co-conspirator transported the second victim to Charlottesville, where they were to exchange the individual for $10,000 in cash.
However, when Perez arrived in the quiet Belmont neighborhood, he was told that the full ransom amount was not available, leading to an argument and shootout that left one of the kidnappers dead.
Ordaz and Perez were arrested in September 2024 in Texas following a grand jury indictment charging both men with conspiracy and kidnapping.
Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg investigated the case with assistance from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department and the HSI in Austin, Texas.
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Crystal Graham
