CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges stemming from a 2023 alien kidnapping and ransom scheme that ended in a deadly shootout in a Charlottesville neighborhood.
Jordan Perez, 21, of Lockhart, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to kidnap and one count of transporting an alien resulting in death.
According to court records, Perez and co-defendant Ricardo Ordaz were part of a group that kidnapped multiple individuals who had entered the United States illegally and held them for ransom. In early January 2023, Ordaz picked up two victims near the U.S.–Mexico border and transported them to a house near Austin, Texas. There, Perez and others held the victims under armed guard.
Ordaz contacted the victims’ families and demanded cash for their release. One of the victims was exchanged in Texas for $5,000. On January 8, 2023, Perez and another co-conspirator transported the second victim to Charlottesville, Virginia, intending to collect a $10,000 ransom.
During the attempted exchange, an argument broke out when the full ransom was not produced. A shootout followed, during which Perez and another man brandished firearms, resulting in the shooting death of one of the kidnappers.
“This Department of Justice aims to bring the rule of law back to our country,” said United States Attorney C. Todd Gilbert. “Far too often, individuals take advantage of those who illegally enter the country, and the results are tragic.”
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations, and related violent crimes. The effort combines resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg led the investigation, with help from the Charlottesville and Albemarle County police departments and HSI Austin, Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.
Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.
