A New Jersey man who was kidnapped from his home and tied up, his hands bound and duct tape placed over his eyes and mouth, was rescued from a Queens building by NYPD officers this week -- and three New York City men face charges.
The three defendants, 42-year-old Fa Deng of Staten Island, 50-year-old Albert Ferrelli of Queens and 30-year-old Chiahao Lee, also of Queens, all are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping for ransom and were ordered detained after their initial appearances in federal court on Thursday, federal prosecutors said.
According to investigators and court documents, the three men and a fourth conspirator drove to the victim's Fort Lee home on Tuesday. Ferrelli and the unnamed conspirator allegedly walked in wearing masks and tied him up, duct-taping his eyes and mouth before forcing him into a vehicle.
Law enforcement received information that the victim's wife had been sent a photograph of her husband bound and duct-taped by kidnappers demanding a ransom of about $680,000, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger said.
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When officers responded to her Fort Lee home, they found what appeared to be duct tape with pieces of latex glove stuck to it. They reviewed local surveillance footage and found a gray minivan they believed was linked to the abduction.
Other surveillance footage showed the minivan crossing the George Washington Bridge shortly after the kidnapping, and subsequently crossing into the Bronx and then into Queens. NYPD responded to a building on Prince Street in Queens the next day and found Ferrelli guarding the door to a building, prosecutors say.
When cops walked up to Ferrelli, they heard a man screaming for help inside. They went in and found the victim, still with his hands tied and his eyes and mouth taped.
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Surveillance footage obtained by law enforcement showed that he had tried to escape his captivity by running out of the building but was eventually found. The video allegedly showed Ferrelli tackle him to the ground to prevent him from escaping. The two engaged in a scuffle and the victim was hauled back inside.
Law enforcement located the gray minivan used in the kidnapping parked in the driveway of Lee’s home in Queens, prosecutors say. Records show Lee's wife had rented the van from LaGuardia Airport a day before the kidnapping, officials say.
There was no immediate update on the victim's condition as of Friday morning.
The alleged kidnappers face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. Attorney details for the accused weren't immediately available.
