A 24-year-old Venezuelan national was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in federal prison for kidnapping a North Texas Lyft driver in August 2024 and forcing her to drive to South Florida at gunpoint
Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida handed down the sentence to Miguel Pastran Hernandez. Pastran pleaded guilty in December 2024 to kidnapping, carjacking and use of a firearm in continuation of a crime of violence.
While he faced a sentence of up to life in prison, federal prosecutors recommended a 16-year sentence in a court filing earlier this week. In their memo to the judge, prosecutors cited the victim impact statement, which was filed under seal.
“As the Defendant’s victim writes in the Victim Impact Statement, the Defendant forever changed her life, making her unable to continue her work as a Lyft driver or to feel personal security,” prosecutors wrote.
Pastran’s public defender recommended a 10-year sentence, citing his young age, mental illness and past traumas to advocate for less jail time.
The Arlington kidnapping and another plot
As part of the plea deal, Pastran confessed to the facts of the crime.
On the night of Aug. 16, 2024, Pastran arranged for a Lyft driver to pick him up in Arlington. Shortly after arriving at the destination, the victim said she heard the click of a gun being chambered and saw Pastran holding a gun.
Pastran threatened to tie up the victim and put her in the back of the vehicle, but decided to allow her to drive the car as long as she did what he said and obeyed the speed limit.
They arrived in South Florida on Aug. 18, where Pastran scoped out the Miami Beach residence of a social media influencer who he hoped to kidnap for a $3 million ransom, authorities said.
The next day, Pastran directed the driver to go to a Dollar General in Hialeah for supplies. The driver hid in the bathroom, so Pastran grabbed the car keys and took off on foot when law enforcement arrived.
Police located Pastran in Hollywood hours later with a loaded 9mm handgun belonging to the rideshare driver.
