Denver kidnapping case reveals brutal Tren de Aragua plot, three sentenced to 20 years
Three Venezuelan nationals were sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for kidnapping and torturing a Denver renter at the direction of Tren de Aragua, after the victim escaped and reported the crime.
Federal prosecutors disclosed that three Venezuelan nationals were each given 20-year sentences for abducting and torturing a Denver tenant who was a police officer in Venezuela. The victim’s roommates turned his rented room into a torture site after discovering his family’s law-enforcement background, recording the abuse and sending the footage to his wife to extract a ransom from relatives in Venezuela. When the family did not pay, the captors cut off the victim’s right pinky finger, an act also filmed.
After a police welfare call on Oct. 16, 2024, the men fled, allowing the victim to escape to a Denver police station the next morning. U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly praised the conviction, while Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas highlighted the victim’s bravery. A fourth defendant’s sentencing is pending, and a separate indictment targets Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas for broader Tren de Aragua crimes.
Why it matters
The case shows how transnational gangs can operate in U.S. communities and the federal response to such violent criminal enterprises.
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