EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso man who served as a soldier in a transnational criminal organization (TCO) pleaded guilty in a federal court in El Paso to kidnapping resulting in death, according to the United States Attorney’s Office from the Western District of Texas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Armando Leonardo Moreno aka Cholo, 21, conspired with other TCO members on or around Sep. 13, 2021 to kidnap an individual from an El Paso stash house.
The kidnappers drove the victim to another address and dragged him out of the vehicle.
The kidnappers then beat the victim in the front yard of a home before taking him inside, continuing to beat him further, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The victim was found dead on Sep. 16, 2021 with multiple gunshot wounds and stab wounds in Las Cruces.
Moreno faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Codefendant Michelle Karen Avila was previously sentenced to 120 months in prison, while codefendant Ruben Pimentel was sentenced to 188 months, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Codefendants Alberto Rodriguez and Ricardo Matthew Gutierrez remain in federal custody awaiting sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Homeland Security Investigations, the El Paso Police Department, New Mexico State Police, and the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the case.
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