Two Honduran nationals, Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana and Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nuñez, have been charged with conspiring to kidnap a Guatemalan man who had entered the U.S. illegally and demanding ransom from his family in Southern California. The two men, who live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are accused of conspiring to kidnap and hold for ransom migrants smuggled into the U.S. and driving them to stash houses in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Palma, who was arrested, faces several charges and remains in jail without bond, while Sauceda is still at large.
The indictment alleges that Palma and Sauceda recruited others to help carry out the conspiracy and misled migrants and their families through fake reunions. They allegedly demanded ransom payments from the victims’ families to secure their release. Sauceda was arrested after demanding a ransom payment from the victim’s relative and then driving away with the victim. Palma threatened the victim’s family member over WhatsApp the next day.
The FBI has warned about the rise of “virtual kidnapping extortion” targeting immigrants in the U.S., where criminals use social media to target victims and demand ransom payments. The FBI treats these cases as potential real kidnappings and urges anyone who is targeted to report it, regardless of their immigration status. Prosecutors are determined to hold those who exploit vulnerable victims accountable for their actions.
Photo credit
www.usatoday.com