Accused kidnappers cross into US to collect ransom after victim is beaten, feds say

A brother and sister teamed up to kidnap a man in Mexico, before crossing the U.S. border to collect ransom from his California family, federal officials said.

Mario Alex Medina, 54, and his sister, Maria Alejandra Medina, 51, are facing prison time after being found guilty by a jury of working together to kidnap a neighbor in Rosarito, Mexico, according to an Oct. 25 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.

In November 2022, Mario Medina helped break into a home and kidnap a man at gunpoint, officials said.

Mario Medina and others then pistol whipped the man and sent a video of him being beaten to his family in Los Angeles County via WhatsApp before demanding $70,000, prosecutors said.

The family then got another call, threatening to kill the victim if they did not pay $30,000, officials said.

Mario Medina, pretending to be an intermediary between the hostages and the victim’s family, said to meet at a McDonald’s near the U.S. and Mexico border for the ransom payment, officials said.

Maria Medina and her nephew, Jose Salud Medina, 31, crossed the border to retrieve the payment and then took the money back to Mexico, officials said.

The victim was then left “tied up and alone” in a trench where Mexico officers rescued him the following day, officials said.

The victim told FBI agents that he heard Mario’s voice near his home the night he was kidnapped, according to the criminal complaint. He also told officers he believed Mario orchestrated the kidnapping and enlisted his sister and son to help.

After reviewing Mario’s electronic devices, officials found that he had a contact saved for the Mexican phone number used to call the victim’s family, the complaint said.

The brother and sister were found guilty of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and demanding a ransom payment, officials said.

Mario Medina was also found guilty of making a foreign communication with intent to extort, officials said.

McClatchy News reached out to both Mario and Maria’s lawyers on Oct. 28 for a statement and was awaiting a response.

Jose Salud Medina, who was already in custody on unrelated charges will be tried separately after being charged with conspiracy to commit hostage taking, conspiracy to demand a ransom payment and making a foreign communication with intent to extort, prosecutors said.

The brother and sister are facing a maximum sentence of life in prison, the release said.

They are scheduled to reappear in court on Feb. 3 for sentencing, officials said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Accused kidnappers cross into US to collect ransom after victim is beaten, feds say."