Mexican Notary Public/Attorney indicted by federal grand jury for kidnapping, ransom, and hostage taking

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

A federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Del Rio Division, has filed a five-count criminal indictment against Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, also known as “The Notary,” a Mexican citizen and Notary Public/Attorney from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 in Del Rio, Texas, charging him with two counts of kidnapping, one count of ransom money, one count of hostage taking, and one count of misprision of a felony.

Saucedo-Ortiz was arrested on March 19, 2014 while attempting to enter the United States.

According to the federal criminal indictment, Count One charges Saucedo-Ortiz with “on or about November 6, 2013, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, Defendant, Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, aka “The Notary” knowingly, and intentionally and unlawfully combined, conspired, confederated and agreed with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to unlawfully and willfully seize, confine, kidnap, abduct, and carry away and hold for ransom Victim 1, and in furtherance of the commission of the offense the Defendant did travel in foreign commerce from Mexico to the United States and then back to Mexico, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201. OVERT ACT: On November 6, 2013 the Defendant transported a document transferring ownership of property from Victim 2 to others known to the Grand Jury knowing that Victim 2 signed the document to secure the release of Victim 1.”

Count Two of the indictment charges Saucedo-Ortiz with “on or about November 6, 2013, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, Defendant, Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, aka “The Notary” aided and abetted the kidnapping, abduction, and carrying away and holding for ransom of Victim 1, and in furtherance of the commission of the offense the Defendant did travel in foreign commerce from Mexico to the United States and then back to Mexico, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201.”

Count Three of the indictment charges Saucedo-Ortiz with “on or about November 6, 2013, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, Defendant, Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, aka “The Notary” knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully received, possessed, and disposed of money and property which had been delivered as ransom or reward in connection with Count 1 of this Indictment, knowing that the same money and property was delivered as a ransom and reward, and the Defendant transported, transmitted, and transferred in foreign commerce the proceeds of a kidnapping, knowing the proceed were unlawfully obtained, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1202.”

Count Four of the indictment charges Saucedo-Ortiz with “on or about November 6, 2013, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, Defendant, Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, aka “The Notary” knowingly, and intentionally and unlawfully combined, conspired, confederated and agreed with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to seize, detain, threaten to injure and kill, and continue to detain another person in Mexico, namely Victim No. 1, in order to compel Victim 2 to transfer ownership rights in property as an explicit and implicit condition for the release of the hostage, Victim 1, all in Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1203.”

Count Five of the indictment charges Saucedo-Ortiz with “on or about November 6, 2013, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, Defendant, Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz, aka “The Notary” having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, to wit, Kidnapping in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201, Ransom Money in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1202, and Hostage Taking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1203, and did conceal the same and did not, as soon as possible, make known the commission of the said felony to a judge and other person in civil and military authority within the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 4.’

If found guilty and convicted of the charges alleged in the Indictment, Saucedo-Ortiz faces a maximum sentence in Counts 1,2, and 4 of up to life imprisonment, up to $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and in Count 3 up to 10 years imprisonment, up to $250,000 fine, three years supervised release, and in Count 5 up to three years imprisonment, up to $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $1000 special assessment for each count of conviction.

Saucedo-Ortiz was scheduled to appear for a preliminary and detention hearings before the United States Magistrate Judge Collis White on Friday, March 28th, at 10 A.M. in U.S. District Court in Del Rio, Texas, but Defendant Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz waived the preliminary and detention hearings and will remain in custody until his case goes to trial or is adjudicated.

A federal criminal indictment is merely allegations of wrongdoing and is not evidence of a person’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court at law. It is presumed that Defendant Alejo Saucedo-Ortiz denies the allegations in the indictment and has or will plead not guilty.