A brother and sister from Mexico have been convicted of kidnapping a neighbor and threatening to kill the victim unless his family in Southern California pays a ransom, according to authorities.
On Friday, Mario Alex Medina, 54, and María Alejandra Medina, 51, of Rosarito, Mexico, were found guilty for their roles in a violent kidnapping and rescue operation that took place two years ago, the US Attorney's Office said in a statement. Mario Medina, who was also convicted of international racketeering, involved his sister and son in a scheme intended to defraud their neighbor's family of tens of thousands of dollars, authorities said.
Her son, José Salud Medina, 31, is being held on unrelated charges in Mexico, where he is expected to be tried separately in connection with the kidnapping.
“These defendants put their victim and his family through a shocking ordeal in order to make an illegal profit,” said US Atty. Martin Estrada. “Such indifference to others and the unwarranted use of violence cannot and will not be tolerated.” These defendants will now face the law for their crimes.”
On November 5, 2022, Mario Medina and his accomplices broke into a neighbor's home near Rosarito, a resort town 20 kilometers south of Tijuana, state prosecutors said. They abducted the deceased, pointed a gun at him, beat him with a gun and shot a gun near his head.
The next day, one of the kidnappers called the victim's relatives living in Los Angeles County, demanding $70,000 for his release. They also sent a video on WhatsApp as an instant message that he was being beaten.
The following week, they called the victim's family again, threatening to kill the victim if the family did not pay $30,000, authorities said. Some time after that call, Mario Medina acted as a mediator between the victim's family and the kidnappers.
Mario Medina told the victim's family to meet at a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, just north of the US-Mexico border, to make the ransom payment.
José and María Medina met with the victim's family to collect $30,000, which they took to Mexico, authorities said. The Medina family left the victim tied up and alone in the ditch, where Mexican law enforcement released him.
Mario and María Medina are scheduled to appear in federal court on February 3 for sentencing. They face up to life in state prison.
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