Three Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Interstate Kidnapping

      PHOENIX – Yesterday, Jesus Humberto Barrera Estrada, 20, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was sentenced by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 60 months in federal prison followed by six years of supervised release.  On Jan. 14, 2019, Corey Webster Newkirk, 22, of Tempe, Ariz., was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.  On Dec. 3, 2018, Gabriel Mario Morales, 20, of Tempe, Ariz., was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.  All three men had previously pleaded guilty to interstate kidnapping.

      Beginning on or about May 27, 2018, Newkirk, Morales, and Barrera Estrada engaged in a conspiracy to find the victim, and clandestinely surveil her and her family in California.  The trio drove from Arizona to southern California, where they continued to watch the victim and her family, even tracking one of their vehicles with a GPS device.  The conspiracy culminated on June 4, 2018, when the three men ambushed the victim, physically restrained her inside a vehicle, and drove across state lines back to Arizona.  A traffic stop in Quartzsite, Ariz. ultimately led to the victim’s rescue and the apprehension of the three men.

      The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department, and the Quartzsite Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christina Covault, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.