Executive Summary
- Jose Ramirez, 37, was convicted by a federal jury for a 2018 kidnapping and carjacking in New Mexico.
- Ramirez remained a fugitive for seven years before being arrested in California on unrelated charges.
- The victim was held for 15 hours in a shed while the kidnappers attempted to extort his family.
- Ramirez faces a potential sentence ranging from five years to life in federal prison.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal jury has convicted a 37-year-old man of kidnapping and carjacking his former employer following a seven-year manhunt that concluded with his arrest in California. Jose Ramirez was found guilty in federal court regarding the violent 2018 abduction that occurred in Placitas, New Mexico, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors presented evidence establishing that on July 25, 2018, Ramirez, who was under court supervision and wearing a GPS ankle monitor at the time, conspired with co-defendants to retaliate against a former boss who had terminated his employment. Evidence introduced in court showed that Ramirez removed his ankle monitor in the early morning hours of the following day to evade detection before launching the ambush.
According to court documents, Ramirez and his accomplices attacked the victim, beat and bound him, and forced him into the bed of his own truck. The assailants then drove the victim to Pajarito Mesa, where they imprisoned him in a shed for approximately 15 hours while attempting to extort ransom money from his family. The victim was eventually released in southwest Albuquerque, where he walked to a gas station and requested the clerk dial 911.
Ramirez remained a fugitive for seven years following the incident. Law enforcement officials located him earlier this year in California, where he was taken into custody on unrelated drug possession charges. He was subsequently returned to New Mexico to face trial for the 2018 kidnapping.
Sentencing Parameters
Ramirez now faces a statutory sentencing range of five years to life in federal prison. He will remain in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. While Ramirez has been convicted of the kidnapping and carjacking charges, regarding the recent drug possession arrest in California that led to his capture, it is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
