The following defendants – all from Rosarito, Mexico – are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and one count of conspiracy to demand a ransom payment:

Mario Alex Medina, 53, a.k.a. “Shyboy;”
Jose Salud Medina, 31, a.k.a. “Gordo,” who is Mario Medina’s son; and
Maria Alejandra Medina, 50, who is Mario Medina’s sister and Jose Medina’s aunt.

Mario and Jose Medina also are each charged with one count of making a foreign communication with intent to extort moneys.

US prosecutors allege that, on5 November, 2022, Mario Medina directed and helped accomplices break into the house of a neighbour, identified in court documents only as “R.V.,” kidnapping the victim at gunpoint, pistol whipping him and firing a gun near his head. The next day, one of the conspirators placed a ransom call to the victim’s family in Los Angeles County and demanded USD70,000 for his release. The kidnappers, through WhatsApp, also sent a video of the victim being beaten.

On 10 November, 2022, Jose Medina allegedly telephoned a relative of R.V.’s and threatened to kill the victim if R.V.’s family did not pay USD30,000. Later that day, Mario Medina – pretending to be an intermediary between R.V.’s family and the hostage takers – allegedly told the victim’s family to meet at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, located north of the U.S.-Mexico border, to make the ransom payment.

Jose and Maria Medina allegedly met the victim’s family the next day at the McDonald’s restaurant where they collected the USD30,000 ransom payment which they took with them back to Mexico.

The hostage takers on 11 November, 2022, then left R.V. tied up and alone in a small, subterranean, trench where Mexican law enforcement rescued him later that day.

It is not clear from official documents how the family came to be arrested. Maria Medina and Mario Medina are in custody in the USA. Jose Medina is in custody in Mexico.