Public Safety
San Diego federal judge hands down 12-year sentence in migrant-ransom scheme
Isaac Jimenez was also ordered to pay $24,500 in restitution after admitting his role in a Tijuana-based smuggling organization that kidnapped migrants and extorted their families.
U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino sentenced Jimenez on October 9 in San Diego federal court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Jimenez, a U.S. citizen who previously lived in Escondido and later moved to Tijuana, continued helping the organization after learning that migrants were being held for ransom.
Sentence: 12 years in federal prison
Restitution: $24,500 for the victims’ families
Case status: Jimenez pleaded guilty on June 16
Two families paid, but their relatives never returned
According to court documents summarized by federal prosecutors, Jimenez collected $15,000 from the family of a father of four in 2024 and delivered it to kidnappers in Mexico. The man remains missing and is presumed to have been killed.
Prosecutors said a second victim, a 21-year-old woman from Tijuana, was held after her family paid about $10,000. Her remains were found in the Tijuana area in November 2025 and identified through DNA testing. Jimenez admitted coordinating smuggling activity and collecting ransom payments; Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation.
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California — October 9 → · Times of San Diego — October 10 →