Three Brooklyn residents were charged after kidnapping a New Jersey teenager and torturing the victim as they held the individual for ransom, according to prosecutors.
The three suspects — Dennis Reyes Mora, Alexander Cruz and Cindy Aleman Fernandez — were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, the U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Tuesday, for the incidents that followed a drug deal gone wrong in Delaware on March 17.
After the botched sale, the three accused plus another person allegedly kidnapped the 18-year-old victim, then drove through New Jersey and held the person for ransom in the basement of a house in Queens. The victim was bound with tape during the drive and stabbed repeatedly.
The victim's eyes were covered while the suspects tied the individual's wrists and ankles with tape once they reached the house, prosecutors allege. While being held captive, the victim was burned with cigarettes, beaten, had a knife run along their back and gasoline-soaked rag held against their eyes, according to prosecutors.
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A kidnapper also was said to have threatened the victim with a gun and rounds of ammo, court documents state. The 27-year-old Aleman looked on and laughed as the person was tortured, prosecutors said.
The victim was eventually released after their family, aided by law enforcement, paid the ransom. Before they were arrested the kidnappers tried to cover up their alleged crimes by removing and cleaning the seats of the car that was used in the act, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
The victim has not been identified.
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Fernandez, along with the 37-year-old Mora and 26-year-old Cruz, face up to life in prison if convicted. Attorney information for any of the three was not immediately available.
