MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Louisiana man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after kidnapping a 13-year-old McAllen girl he met on Snapchat, records show.
Brandon Galvez, 24, was sentenced Monday, according to federal records.
Galvez and Jose Ramos-Serrano were arrested in June 2020 on charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Galvez also faced charges of kidnapping and enticement of a minor, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
A previous ValleyCentral report on June 21, 2020 detailed how a McAllen woman called police and said her 13-year-old daughter ran away.
“There’s no question the little girl ran away, she left a note for whatever reason, but it’s the fact that she is 13 years old, they’re not fully mature to know enough about what they’re doing,” McAllen Chief of Police Victor Rodriguez said in 2020. “We get runaways all the time, they’re typically resolved within hours or days. This tells us the runaway market is global, that’s what alerts us, that’s what alarms us.”
Authorities then encountered Galvez and Ramos-Serrano travelling with the girl and noticed signs of abuse, according to authorities.
“The investigation revealed that Galvez had allegedly groomed the victim and traveled to Texas with the intent to transport her back to Chalmette,” authorities stated, adding that Galvez paid Ramos-Serrano to transport him and the girl to Louisiana.
The original ValleyCentral report stated that the teen met Galvez on Snapchat a few days prior, and they agreed he would pick her up and take her to Mexico. At that time, Galvez, who lived in Louisiana, traveled across state lines to pick up the girl. She was then sexually assaulted within one hour of leaving her home, according to authorities.
Galvez and prosecutors reached a plea agreement Aug. 4, where Galvez pleaded guilty to the kidnapping charge in exchange for the dismissal of the two remaining charges. As part of his sentence, Galvez will also face five years of supervised release and be forced to comply with sex offender conditions.
According to records, Ramos-Serrano reached a plea agreement Oct. 6, pleading guilty to charges of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in prostitution or sexual activity.
