SAN ANTONIO – The Department of Justice (DOJ) said a man arrested in San Antonio has been indicted on charges that include kidnapping and harboring immigrants.
Franklin Ulises Rodriguez-Rivas, of El Salvador, was arrested by San Antonio police officers on Feb. 19, according to a DOJ news release on Friday. He made his initial court appearance the next day on Feb. 20.
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Rodriguez-Rivas had been previously convicted of illegal re-entry and was deported from the U.S. in March 2022, court documents show. He now faces a new illegal re-entry charge following a criminal complaint, the DOJ said.
An investigation involving SAPD and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) discovered that Rodriguez-Rivas allegedly harbored an immigrant in the U.S. and held the individual for ransom, according to the release.
If convicted, federal officials said Rodriguez-Rivas could face up to life in prison for the kidnapping charge.
He also faces up to 10 years behind bars for harboring immigrants and illegal re-entry charges, according to the release.
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