Illegal immigrant who kidnapped FBI specialist on Pine Ridge headed to prison

Sentencing comes amid conflict between Gov. Kristi Noem and tribes over Biden border policies, drug trafficking

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

An El Salvadoran man who carjacked and kidnapped an FBI employee on a South Dakota Indian reservation will spend 35 years in prison.

Judge Karen Schreier signed the judgment and commitment order for Juan Francisco Alvarez-Sorto on Tuesday after handing down the sentence in court on Friday. In addition to the 420-month sentence, Alvarez-Sorto, 25 – who was in the country illegally and had previously been deported – was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay more than $4,700 in restitution.

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A second man who was arrested with Alvarez-Sorto, Deyvin Morales from Guatemala, awaits sentencing. Both men were found guilty in January.

In addition to kidnapping and carjacking, Alvarez-Sorto was found guilty of brandishing a firearm in an act of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and unlawful re-entry. Alvarez-Sorto had been deported from the United States on July 21, 2017 from Alexandria, Louisiana, according to court documents.