Kidnappers who lifted man after UTEP basketball game, took him to Albuquerque, sentenced
Two kidnappers who took a man outside El Paso’s Don Haskins Center after a basketball game and drove him more than 200 miles to Albuquerque have been sentenced.
Brandon Lawrence Jones and Jesus Manuel Gallegos were sentenced in a federal court in Albuquerque Monday. Jones received 35 years in prison, Gallegos received 30. According to ABC-7 archives, they faced life in prison.
The men admitted to kidnapping a man as he walked to his vehicle after a UTEP basketball game in 2010.
The 34-year-old victim was beaten up and taken to Albuquerque where Jones and Gallegos forced him to withdraw money from ATMs.
The man managed to escape when Jones and Gallegos fell asleep in the vehicle.
Court records show he was present during sentencing and addressed the kidnappers.
The judge recommended Jones receive any PTSD treatment needed, and Gallegos be evaluated and sent to a medical facility operated by the Bureau of Prisons, though no details were immediately available.
