FRESNO, CA (KMJ) Claudia Gonzales pleaded guilty Monday in Fresno federal court to kidnapping charges.
According to court documents, on May 8, 2024, a woman reported her boyfriend after a domestic violence incident, which resulted in his arrest. In retaliation for calling the police, the boyfriend’s sister, Rosa Ventura, 35, also of Fresno conspired with Gonzales, 39, to kidnap the woman and her 9-year old daughter.
Prosecutors say the pair were headed to the Mexican border.
At one point, they stopped at a gas station where the mother and child attempted to flee. Gonzales chased the 9‑year-old girl and forced her back into the car. Gonzales and Ventura then caught the mother and used a stun gun to force her back into the car.
When Gonzales and Ventura arrived in Tijuana they dropped mother and daughter at a bus station.
The victim’s other daughter, an infant, was kept in Fresno out of her custody from May 2024, until November 2024.
Gonzales is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18. She faces a statutory minimum of 20 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ventura is set for trial on April 23, 2026. Homeland Security and the Fresno Police Department led the investigation.
