BROOKLYN, NY – A jury in Brooklyn delivered a damning verdict today, convicting Lesly Valentin, Aasim Boone, and Jarrett Bruce (also known as “Inf,” “Infinite,” and “Infamous”) on charges stemming from a savage kidnapping and extortion plot that unfolded in Astoria, Queens. The three men now face the possibility of life in prison after being found guilty of kidnapping conspiracy, transmission of interstate threats with intent to extort, and attempted obstruction of justice.
The case, spearheaded by United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella, Jr., details a particularly gruesome attack. According to evidence presented at the three-week trial before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner, the trio abducted the victim from outside his apartment complex on December 9, 2022. What followed was a descent into barbarity, as the victim was driven to New Jersey and subjected to hours of escalating torture.
Prosecutors laid out a horrifying account of the abuse: the victim was beaten with a gun, doused in bleach, and horrifically burned with a blowtorch on his back and legs. The torment didn’t end there – Bruce, Boone, and Valentin sliced the victim’s ear with a knife before finally releasing him on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The motive? A demand for $150,000 in cash and 50 pounds of marijuana. Days after the kidnapping, Valentin continued the pressure, sending threatening texts promising further harm to the victim and his family if the ransom wasn’t paid.
The defendants didn’t just commit the brutal act; they attempted a cover-up. Aasim Boone, 42, of Englewood, New Jersey, allegedly tried to destroy electronic evidence connecting him to the crime. But the Joint Violent Crimes Task Force, comprised of FBI agents and NYPD detectives, pieced together the evidence, leading to the convictions. Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, worked alongside Nocella to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This was a heinous crime in which the defendants targeted a victim, abducted him from outside of his home, and subjected him to barbaric acts of torture and cruelty, all for financial gain,” Nocella stated following the verdict. “Once their crimes were uncovered, the defendants tried to destroy evidence. With today’s verdict, the defendants’ efforts to escape accountability have failed and they now face significant punishment.”
Alongside Boone, Jarrett Bruce, 41, also of Englewood, New Jersey, and Lesly Valentin, 39, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, will await sentencing. The prosecution team, led by Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua B. Dugan, Lorena Michelen, and Andrew Wang, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Wesley Roberts, secured the convictions in E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-292 (S-4) (RPK). The case underscores the brutal reality of organized crime and the relentless pursuit of justice by federal law enforcement.
Related Federal Cases
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- Astoria Kidnappers Convicted of Torture-For-Ransom Plot · New Jersey
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- Maryland Trio Indicted for Luring, Kidnapping Victim · Maryland
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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