South Tidewater News

A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging two men with federal conspiracy and kidnapping charges related to a fatal shooting in Charlottesville’s Belmont neighborhood in January 2023.

Ricardo Franco-Ordaz, 26, of Cedar Creek, Texas, and Jordan Joseph Perez, 20, of Lockhart, Texas, were arrested this week in Texas. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, conspiracy to transport an alien resulting in death, transporting an alien resulting in death, and conspiracy to receive money in connection with a kidnapping.

According to court documents, in early January 2023, Franco-Ordaz, Perez, and other co-conspirators planned the kidnapping of multiple victims for ransom. They transported victims from Texas to Virginia as part of their scheme. An argument and shootout subsequently arose that resulted in the death of a member of the criminal organization.

Franco-Ordaz allegedly arranged to pick up two victims from near the United States-Mexico border and bring them to a house near Austin, Texas. Once there, Franco-Ordaz and others held both victims against their will under armed guard and demanded cash from the victims’ family and friends for their release.

Franco-Ordaz exchanged one victim in Texas for $5,000 cash. On January 8, 2023, Perez and another co-conspirator transported another victim to Charlottesville where they arranged to exchange that victim for $10,000 cash. However, when it was revealed that the full $10,000 was not available during the exchange attempt, an argument ensued leading to a shootout that resulted in the death of one of the kidnappers.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington D.C., made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations in Harrisonburg is investigating the case with assistance from the Charlottesville Police Department, Albemarle County Police Department and HSI Austin.

The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level drug traffickers and transnational criminal organizations through a multi-agency approach leveraging federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanie Smith and Sally J. Sullivan are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.