WASHINGTON (TND) -- A Honduran migrant living in New Mexico illegally is charged with kidnapping and conspiracy after allegedly capturing other migrants entering the country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana, 30, is accused of conspiring with a group of other Hondurans to kidnap migrants crossing the southern border and hold them for ransom. The group allegedly kept these individuals at "stash houses" throughout Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.

One such house kept over 57 migrants who were denied access to their cell phones by their captors, according to authorities. The captors allegedly lived near these stash houses and kept significant amounts of money and firearms nearby.

Pastrana allegedly sent messages to family members of the captives, threatening to kill them or send them back to Mexico to be killed.

Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nuñez, 25, also a Honduran migrant living in New Mexico illegally, is named as a co-defendant, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Authorities say his whereabouts are currently unknown.

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These defendants allegedly helped to smuggle migrants and then take advantage of them by demanding ransom from the victims' families to secure their release," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. "We will use our powerful tools to hold accountable those who use violence to profit off of vulnerable victims."

"Everyone in this country who is a victim of a serious crime is protected by U.S. law and this case is no exception," Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, added. "The exploitation of vulnerable individuals and their families will be fully investigated by the FBI and its law enforcement partners."

Pastrana was arrested in August and arraigned on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. The migrant could face life in federal prison if convicted.