A Pharr man was sentenced to federal prison after he was convicted of hostage taking, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani.

Hamdani said 27-year-old Sixto Gonzalez pleaded guilty on May 15, 2023. He has been ordered to serve 20 years in federal prison, to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

At the court hearing, additional evidence was presented regarding Gonzalez's violent criminal history and attempts to bribe a correctional guard while he was in custody, according to Hamdani. 

Hamdani said Gonzalez admitted to unlawfully detaining a 19-year-old Alamo man and tried to force a ransom for his safe return.

The incident occurred on June 23, 2021.

Hamdani said Gonzalez lured the victim into Mexico by claiming to have a potential job opportunity. Gonzalez picked the victim up after he crossed into Mexico on foot. When they arrived at a home in Reynosa, Mexico, Gonzalez and several co-conspirators beat and restrained the victim.

Between June 23 and June 25, 2021, Gonzalez and the co-conspirators demanded $5,000 and a firearm from the victim's family in exchange for his safe return. When the family could not obtain the funds, the conspirators sent them a video of the victim being beaten with a wooden board until it fractured, according to Hamdani.

Hamdani said law enforcement were able to determine the location of the home where the victim was being held. They conducted a search and found the victim bound with zip ties, covered with a blanket and had bruises throughout his body. Authorities also found Gonzalez inside the home.

Gonzalez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.