A man from Guatemala admitted to kidnapping a teen from South Carolina he paid to smuggle into the country after she was "rescued from unspeakable horrors," officials said.(Above video is the morning headlines from Thursday 5/2/24.) Bernardino de Jesus Ramirez-Ramirez, also known as Carlos Mendoza, 35, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and illegal transportation of an alien following two days of trial in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Carolina.Ramirez paid for a 16-year-old girl to be smuggled into the United States from Guatemala in October 2022, and directed the girl's journey into the U.S., according to the evidence presented during the trial in Spartanburg.More news: Upstate man dies after being dragged, attacked by bull, coroner saysEvidence also showed he instructed her to turn herself into immigration officials after she crossed the border and provide them his name and contact information as the person who was supposed to receive her. Officials said the teen was taken into the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and placed in a shelter for unaccompanied alien children.At the shelter, officials learned the girl was not related to Ramirez and had never met him before, that he had paid her smuggling debt, and that he had work lined up for her in the United States. They determined Ramirez posed a risk of labor trafficking and was not a suitable sponsor for the minor. In March 2023, they released the minor to an uncle in Newberry, South Carolina.More news: SC man offers explanation on why he waved loaded gun while stealing diapers, police sayA forensic examination of Ramirez’s phone revealed that he was fixated on gaining control over the minor. For months, he exchanged messages with members of the minor’s family regarding her smuggling debt and indicated he would do whatever it took to get her into his custody. He told the minor that because of the “favor” he extended her in helping her get to the United States, she had to live with him. He also told her that if she stayed with her uncle in South Carolina, her smuggling debt, and the interest on it, would increase. On April 5, 2023, Ramirez drove from Missouri to the victim’s home in South Carolina and told her that if she did not come with him, she would be deported back to Guatemala. The teen, believing her debt would be increased and she would be deported if she did not go along, agreed to leave with Ramirez. He drove her to his home in Kansas City, Missouri, where she was recovered by law enforcement officials the following day. “Rescuing this victim saved her from unspeakable horrors and I am thankful for the great work done on this case and the amazing support of our law enforcement partners,” Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, said. More news: Inappropriate social media request leads to teacher's arrest, deputies say“Finding and stopping predators like Ramirez, who seek to exploit minors, is one of the highest priorities of our office,” said Kyle D. Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte, which covers North and South Carolina. United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins presided over the trial, accepted the guilty plea, and will sentence Ramirez after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.Ramirez faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $500,000 and at least three years of supervision following imprisonment.