Three family members were indicted for allegedly kidnapping a man in Mexico and threatening his family in Los Angeles County for a ransom.
The suspects, who are all residents of Rosarito, Mexico, were identified as:
- Mario Alex Medina, 53, also known as “Shyboy”
- Jose Salud Medina, 31, also known as “Gordo,” who is Mario’s son
- Maria Alejandra Medina, 50, who is Mario’s sister and Jose’s aunt
On November 5, 2022, under Mario’s direction, his accomplices broke into a neighbor’s house and kidnapped a male victim at gunpoint, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The victim, identified only as “R.V.,” was pistol-whipped during the kidnapping while suspects fired a gun near his head.
Mario’s accomplice called the victim’s family who lives in Los Angeles County. They demanded $70,000 for the victim’s release and sent a video through WhatsApp showing the victim being beaten, court documents said.
On Nov. 10, 2022, Jose Medina allegedly called the victim’s relative and threatened to kill the man if they did not pay at least $30,000.
Mario pretended to be an intermediary between the victim’s family and the hostage takers, authorities said. He told the victim’s family to pay the ransom at a meetup that was scheduled at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, located just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The next day, the victim’s family arrived at the McDonald’s and handed over the $30,000 ransom payment which Jose and Maria Medina allegedly took back with them to Mexico.
The victim was tied up and abandoned in a small, subterranean trench where Mexican law enforcement rescued him later that day.
All three suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and conspiracy to demand a ransom payment, according to the DA’s office. Mario and Jose were also charged with making foreign communication with intent to extort.
Mario made his initial court appearance on April 8 in Bakersfield and has a detention hearing scheduled for April 11.
Maria has been in federal custody since March 26 and is currently jailed without bond. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for April 16 in downtown L.A.
Jose Medina remains incarcerated in Mexico.
If convicted of all charges, the suspects could face up to life in prison. The case remains under investigation by the FBI.