United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

FOUR PLEAD GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT
TO KIDNAPPING MAN IN RICHARDSON, TEXAS

All Face Life in Prison

DALLAS — Four of the five defendants charged in the May 4, 2007 kidnapping of Richardson, Texas, resident, Carlos Moreno Esquivel, pled guilty today, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

Defendants Salomon Bocanegra, Juan Jose Ornelas-Castro, Heberto Bocanegra, a/k/a “Christopher” and a/ka/ “Beto,” and Damarius Ornelas-Castro each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, one count of kidnapping, one count of using interstate communication facilities to demand ransom and one count of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence. Each of these defendants faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison when they are sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade on October 10, 2007.

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment on June 5, 2007, charging the above four defendants, along with co-defendant Sylvia Rodriguez, with various offenses related to the May 4 kidnapping of Mr. Carlos Moreno Esquivel. A trial date of August 13, 2007 is set for defendant Sylvia Rodriguez.

According to documents filed in Court, on May 4, Salomon Bocanegra, Juan Jose Ornelas-Castro, Heberto Bocanegra, a/k/a “Christopher” and a/k/a “Beto,” and Damarius Ornelas-Castro agreed to rob an individual they believed was distributing large quantities of drugs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They went to Esquivel’s residence on Devonshire Road in Richardson, armed with handguns, and when they arrived at the residence, they kidnapped Esquivel, at gunpoint in his front yard, and forced him into a vehicle, believing that they could collect a ransom of cash and drugs. Once inside the vehicle, Esquivel was restrained, shot and beaten by various defendants, and driven to a tire shop in Dallas, where he was held against his will. While he was being held, the defendants made numerous phone calls to Esquivel’s family members in the Republic of Mexico demanding cash and pound quantities of methamphetamine for his safe release.

Early the following morning, the defendants moved Esquivel from the tire shop to a trailer located as 2324 Cedar Rock, in Dallas, and kept him there blindfolded, restrained and at gunpoint. He was beaten and forced to use a cell phone to call individuals to request that a ransom be paid for his release.

Later that morning, Salomon Bocanegra, Juan Jose Ornelas-Castro, who was armed, and another individual later identified as Gerardo Diaz, went to the Wal-Mart at 1521 North Cockrell Hill Road in Dallas to collect what they believed to be several thousand dollars in U.S. currency and pound quantities of methamphetamine. They agreed to release Esquivel in exchange for the money and methamphetamine. Heberto Bocanegra and Damarius Ornelas-Castro, who were also armed, were left at the trailer to ensure that Esquivel did not escape. After Juan Jose Ornelas-Castro arrived at the Wal-Mart parking lot, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents attempted to detain him. He tried to flee and was involved in an automobile accident and subsequently arrested, along with Bocanegra, by FBI agents. Gerardo Diaz was shot and killed by FBI agents attempting to detain him in the Wal-Mart parking lot when Diaz attempted to run down one of the pursuing agents with a vehicle. DPD officers and FBI agents located Esquivel at the trailer on Cedar Rock in Dallas and took Damarius Ornelas-Castro into custody. Heberto Bocanegra and Sylvia Rodriguez were arrested trying to leave the location in a vehicle. Esquivel was found bound and blindfolded in the bathroom; he had been shot and severely beaten.

The victim of the kidnapping, Carlos Moreno Esquivel was subsequently charged in a separate indictment with participating in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy during the time of the kidnapping. He is currently in custody awaiting trial on that case.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with task force officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Garland Police Department, Dallas Police Department, and Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Office of Inspector General. The Richardson Police Department co-investigated the case with the FBI. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also provided assistance in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert.

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