Two Honduran nationals living in New Mexico have been charged with conspiring to kidnap a Guatemalan man who illegally entered the U.S. They demanded ransom from the victim’s family in Southern California. The migrants were driven to stash houses in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, where their phones were seized. One of the suspects, Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana, was arrested and faces multiple charges. The other suspect, Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nuñez, remains at large. If convicted, they could face life in prison. The suspects recruited others to help mislead migrants and their families, leading them through fake reunions. In one specific incident, Sauceda demanded a $1,500 ransom from a victim’s relative before driving away with the victim. Sauceda was later arrested, and Palma threatened the victim’s family member over WhatsApp.
The FBI has warned about the rise of “virtual kidnapping extortion,” targeting immigrants in the U.S. Criminals scour social media for victims, particularly immigrants who post about missing family members. The FBI treats every case as a potential real kidnapping and urges targets to report the scam, regardless of their immigration status. The exploitation of vulnerable individuals and their families will be fully investigated by the FBI and its law enforcement partners, according to officials.
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