The following press release was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice.
A Homeland Security Task Force case resulted in a San Antonio woman being sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for her role in an illegal alien hostage-taking conspiracy disrupted by the U.S. Border Patrol Targeting Unit, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 4, 2024, Jailene Marisol Reyes, 28, called a man and told him his fiancée was being held at Reyes’ home and that if he did not pay a $6,000 ransom, she would be sold to other people.
San Marcos Police Department officers traced the phone number from the man’s phone to Reyes as part of their investigation and requested assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety. After a meeting was arranged between the man and Reyes, DPS troopers conducted a traffic stop, arrested Reyes and rescued the hostage. A stolen handgun was also found inside Reyes’ vehicle.
Further investigation revealed Reyes allegedly worked for Spencer Garnett Demps, also known as “Chucky,” and assisted in smuggling undocumented immigrants into the United States. Reyes also stated the hostage had been transported to her from Eagle Pass and that, while she expected to be paid, she would not receive payment until the hostage was released to her family.
Reyes was named in a five-count indictment on May 28, 2025, charging her with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens for profit, conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage taking.
She was arrested June 6, 2025, and pleaded guilty Jan. 5, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim testified she was told by members of the organization she would be sold or sex trafficked if her fiancé did not pay the ransom. The fiancé ultimately arrived at a predetermined location to pay the $5,000 ransom, but a co-defendant robbed him at gunpoint, and the organization continued to hold the victim until she was rescued.
Co-defendant Jonathan Andre West was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on May 14, 2025.
Mario Barrientos Jr. pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, and Nicholas Sagini Nyaosi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. Both remain in custody awaiting sentencing.
Spencer Garnett Demps was arrested Dec. 6, 2024, and remains in custody pending further court proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Warsame Galaydh and Brett Miner prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
The Homeland Security Task Force is a multiagency partnership dedicated to identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. The task force places special emphasis on crimes involving children and violent criminal organizations and includes personnel from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Transportation, IRS Criminal Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety, and local law enforcement agencies.
