Six Mexican Nationals Convicted of Hostage Taking and Conspiracy

Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, who accepted all the guilty pleas, sentenced Roman Rivera-Guillen, 33; Jose Molina, 24; Alfonso Ivan Villasana, 20; Israel Flores Jr., 21; Julio Cesar Fernandez, 25; and Bernardino Sanchez, 23, for their roles in the hostage taking. The court noted that Rivera-Guillen was a leader in the conspiracy and sentenced him to 270 months in federal prison, while Molina, Villasana, Flores, Fernandez, and Sanchez received respective terms of 210, 144, 210, 234, and 210 months’ imprisonment. As non-U.S. citizens, all are expected to face deportation proceedings upon their release from prison.