Man Sentenced For Holding 3 Migrants Hostage At Escondido Home

ESCONDIDO, CA — One of two brothers who kidnapped a trio of migrants and held them for ransom at an Escondido home was sentenced Monday to nearly six years in federal prison.

Nicolas Pablo-Francisco, 20, and his 22-year-old brother, Virves Pablo-Francisco, held a 16-year-old boy from Afghanistan, as well as a 41-year-old father and 19-year-old son from Ecuador, hostage and demanded money from their families, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The siblings demanded between $4,000 and $10,000 for each person's release, according to court documents.

Both brothers pleaded guilty to federal charges earlier this year and have each been sentenced to 70 months in prison. Nicolas Pablo-Francisco was sentenced Monday morning in San Diego federal court, while Virves Pablo-Francisco received his sentence at a separate hearing earlier this month.

Prosecutors say the abductions came to light on June 13 of last year, when the 16-year-old boy's family in the United States was contacted by his kidnappers.

The family reached out to law enforcement, and according to a probable cause statement filed in federal court last year, investigators obtained cell phone records for a phone the kidnappers used to call the family.

Records showed Nicolas Pablo-Francisco was the phone's user, with a listed address in Escondido, according to the statement. Virves Pablo-Francisco was listed as the billing party for the account.

On June 14, agents searched the home listed on the phone's account and found all three kidnapping victims, court documents state.

— City News Service