LOS ANGELES – A Riverside County man and one of his accomplices pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States, holding them for ransom, and demanding cash from their families in exchange for their return, officials stated this week.
Each defendants are facing up to life in prison, federal officials stated.
Miguel Angel Avila, 24, a.k.a. “Fredo,” “Quavo,” “Marcos,” and “Papitas,” of Hemet, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, and two counts of transporting illegal aliens for private financial gain, officials stated.
Co-defendant Omar Avila Salmeron, 43, a.k.a. Simón Hernández,” “Andres,” and “El Palatero,” of South Los Angeles, also pleaded guilty Wednesday to the same felony charges.
Also, Salmeron is charged with being an illegal immigrant in possession of firearms after nearly 50 firearms, several firearms parts, and ammunition were discovered in his residence. Avila and Salmeron have been in custody since the summer of 2024.
According to their plea agreements, from July 2022 to April 2023, Avila led a human smuggling operation out of Hemet that Salmeron joined in October 2022. Other co-conspirators included co-defendants Jose Jaime Garcia, 23, a.k.a. “Pablo” and “Sneaky,” of San Jacinto; Gabriel Becerra, 24, a.k.a. “Steven,” of Palmdale; and Jose Alfredo Moreno Gonzalez, 23, of Oak Hills.
Avila, assisted by Salmeron and other co-conspirators, transported and moved illegal aliens through the U.S., coordinated their transportation, recruited drivers to transport them, and assisted illegal aliens in remaining in the U.S. in violation of U.S. immigration laws.
In March 2023, Avila instructed co-defendant Moreno Gonzalez, to drive to a predetermined location in Arizona. Upon arrival, Moreno kidnapped four migrants and transported them to a restaurant in Burbank, where Garcia took custody of them and transported them to a nearby Airbnb.
Avila, along with co-defendants Garcia and Becerra, then held the hostages in the Airbnb overnight. Using the hostages’ cell phones, Avila demanded ransom money from the hostages’ family members in exchange for their release.
🔴 QUICK FACT CHECKLIST
- 🔴 Defendants: Miguel Angel Avila, 24, and Omar Avila Salmeron, 43.
- 🔴 Criminal operation: Human smuggling and kidnapping for ransom.
- 🔴 Victims: Four migrants kidnapped in Arizona and held in Southern California.
- 🔴 Violence: One escaping hostage was chased, beaten and recaptured.
- 🔴 Ransom: $11,000 collected from one victim’s brother.
- 🔴 Weapons: Nearly 50 firearms discovered at Salmeron’s residence.
- 🔴 Guilty pleas: Five defendants have pleaded guilty.
- 🔴 Sentencing: Feb. 18, 2027, for Avila and Salmeron.
- 🔴 Maximum penalty: Life in federal prison for each of the two defendants.
One of the hostages was transferred to Salmeron’s custody, who continued to demand payment in exchange for that victim’s release. Avila, Garcia, and Becerra moved the remaining three of the hostages to a motel room, where one hostage managed to escape through a second-story bathroom window.
Avila and a co-conspirator chased the hostage to a nearby store in Koreatown. Inside the store, Avila body-slammed the hostage, placed him in a chokehold, and punched him repeatedly in the face to re-kidnap him.
Avila, Garcia, and Becerra then restrained the two remaining hostages by tying their hands, transporting them to another Airbnb, and holding them in a room, threatening them with violence if they attempted to escape. Avila and the two other co-defendants later drove one of the hostages to a gas station, where they took $11,000 in cash from the hostage’s brother in exchange for his release.
U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin scheduled February 18, 2027, sentencing hearings for Avila and Salmeron, at which time each defendant will face up to life in federal prison.
Garcia, Becerra, and Moreno have pleaded guilty to kidnapping, conspiracy, and transporting illegal aliens charges and await sentencing.