Adolfo Vargas-Lepe, who lived for a time in Roberts in Carbon County southwest of Billings, has been found guilty of three counts of kidnapping and one count of making an interstate threat.
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A news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office says that following a three-day trial, a federal jury in Billings on Wednesday found Vargas-Lepe guilty of two counts of kidnapping two minors, one count of kidnapping an adult, and making an interstate threat.
He was acquitted of a separate count of kidnapping an adult and possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
Lepe pleaded guilty last week to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of pure methamphetamine, 400 or more grams of fentanyl, and cocaine.
Federal prosecutors alleged in court documents that in November 2017 Lepe kidnapped Jane Does 1, 2, and 3, a mother and two daughters, and transported them to several states and into Mexico.
While in Mexico, Lepe locked them in a house to prevent them from fleeing.
Lepe plied Jane Doe 1 with methamphetamine and told her he transported drugs for a Mexican cartel. Lepe would not let Jane Doe 1 leave his sight because of her knowledge of his drug trafficking. He threatened to kill her and have cartel members kill her family, he continuously physically assaulted her, and he threatened her with a gun.
In 2018, when Jane Doe 3 had returned to live with her mother (Jane Doe 1), Lepe sexually assaulted her at a residence in Billings.
In 2023, Lepe kidnapped Jane Doe 4, whom he had known for several years, from her residence in Wyoming, after sending her a text message from Montana that threatened to hurt her because she tried to get away from him.
Jane Doe 4 ultimately agreed to travel from Wyoming to Montana with Lepe because of his threats to hurt her and her family.
Once back in Montana, Lepe repeatedly abused Jane Doe 4. He beat her regularly, pistol-whipped her, and shot her in the legs.
She finally escaped in May 2023 by running away from his house, hiding in the dirt behind some bushes for several hours, and making her way to a nearby bar to call 911.
On May 31, 2023, two days after Jane Doe 4 had escaped, Carbon County deputies saw Lepe driving a truck near Boyd and tried to arrest him. He led the officers on a high-speed chase, ultimately rolling his vehicle, and was apprehended.
In July, after listening to Lepe’s phone calls from the jail, which were translated from Spanish to English, law enforcement searched Lepe’s storage unit and seized about one pound of cocaine and two pounds of meth. They also found 12.5 pounds of meth and roughly 10,000 fentanyl pills in a backpack underneath a tree in the area where Lepe rolled his vehicle following the high-speed chase in May.
According to the news release, Lepe faces the following penalties:
- A maximum term of imprisonment of life for kidnapping an adult, a fine of $250,000, and five years of supervised release;
- A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and maximum term of life for each count of kidnapping a minor, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release;
- Five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for making a threat in interstate commerce; and
- A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life for the drug trafficking, along with a fine of $10 million and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 2.
Lepe was ordered to remain in custody pending sentencing.
“Lepe’s victims endured unimaginable trauma that will stay with them forever,” Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI said in the press release. “Lepe demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and the law. He is a serious threat to the community and will be held accountable for his horrific crimes.”
