A federal jury in New Orleans has convicted Hector Mondragon-Flores, 33, of Honduras, on all eight counts related to kidnapping-for-ransom and assaulting a federal officer. The verdict was reached on October 23, 2025, after a three-day trial.
According to evidence presented at the trial, Mondragon-Flores and his co-defendant Edwin Salgado-Nunez kidnapped a victim on October 2, 2024. They bound the victim’s hands and feet and held him at gunpoint in Mondragon-Flores’s apartment while demanding a $7,000 ransom from the victim’s father. Prosecutors stated that Mondragon-Flores called the victim’s father over 50 times and threatened to kill his son if the ransom was not paid.
The victim’s father reported the incident to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) while en route to pay part of the ransom. NOPD detectives monitored the exchange and arrested Salgado-Nunez after $3,000 was handed over to Abel Garcia, an associate of both defendants.
Following this arrest, Mondragon-Flores moved the victim at gunpoint to another location with help from co-defendant Janette Ramirez. He then attempted to collect additional ransom from the victim’s girlfriend. When this failed, he forced the victim to withdraw $400 from an ATM for his release.
Law enforcement located Mondragon-Flores in an apartment complex in New Orleans East the following day. During their attempt to arrest him, he pulled out a firearm, entered an occupied apartment by force, and took a hostage. The hostage managed to escape as Mondragon-Flores tried to flee through a window. He then pointed his weapon at two officers before barricading himself inside for nearly eight hours until police used tear gas and apprehended him.
Mondragon-Flores was found guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping under Title 18 United States Code Sections 1201(a)(1) and 1201(c), two counts of interstate transmission of a ransom demand under Section 875(a), conspiracy to receive ransom payment and receipt of ransom payments under Sections 1202(a) and 371, as well as assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon under Sections 111(a)(1) and (b).
If sentenced at maximum terms for each conviction, Mondragon-Flores could face life imprisonment for kidnapping charges; up to twenty years each for interstate transmission of ransom demands and assault on a federal officer; ten years for receipt of ransom payments; five years for conspiracy; fines up to $250,000 per count; supervised release periods ranging up to five years; and mandatory special assessment fees.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” according to officials. “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and New Orleans Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman and Sarah Dawkins prosecuted the case.
