A 24-year-old Edinburg man will spend over 16 years in prison after organizing the kidnapping of a 4-year-old boy and holding him for ransom, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Gilbert John Montez pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit hostage taking in April 2023 after recruiting and hiring five individuals to transport and hold a 4-year-old child from Mission for ransom, a news release stated.

One of the men hired by Montez took the child from his mother at a stash house in Mission in March 2022, according to the news release.

The child was taken to Corpus Christi, then Houston before ending up in the city of Stafford. 

While the child was being transported, his father was contacted by the kidnappers who demanded $4,500 in exchange for his freedom, the news release stated.

“Authorities learned of the scheme and attempted to make arrangements with [the kidnappers] for the release of the child, but failed,” according to the release. “They then tracked them down to an apartment complex in Stafford, took them into custody and located the child.”

The others involved in the scheme all pleaded guilty to their varying roles and have also been ordered to prison.

Montez was sentenced to 200 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.