NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Three Brooklyn residents were charged on Wednesday in connection with a kidnapping for ransom that left a teenager with stab wounds after a dispute over a drug transaction, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.
Dennis Reyes Mora, 37, Alexander Cruz, 26, and Cindy Aleman Fernandez, 27, all of Brownsville, Brooklyn, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to documents.
After a failed drug deal in the parking lot of a hotel in Newark, Delaware on March 17, Cruz, Reyes, Aleman, and another individual kidnapped the 18-year-old victim, who they drove through New Jersey and held for ransom in the basement of a house in Queens, officials said.
During the drive, the kidnappers bound the victim with tape and stabbed hi multiple times. Once they reached the house in Queens, the kidnappers covered the victim’s eyes then bound his wrists and ankles with tape.
While holding the victim captive, the kidnappers tortured him by running a knife on his neck, holding a gasoline-soaked rag against his eyes, burning him with cigarettes, and beating him.
One of the kidnappers also threatened the victim with a gun and rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
Aleman looked on and laughed while the victim was tortured.
The kidnappers ultimately released the victim after his family, aided by law enforcement, paid a ransom, officials said.
Before their arrest, the kidnappers tried to cover up their crimes by removing and cleaning the seats of the car used in the kidnapping, among other things, court documents said.
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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