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DEA Employee, Husband Plead Guilty to Kidnapping Hoax
Nydia L. Perez and John A. Soto, both 44, of Haymarket, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to law enforcement officials in federal court on Friday. The couple, who are employees of the United States Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, designed and executed a hoax with the intention of defrauding the United States Embassy in Bogotá.
According to court filings, Perez, an employee of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and her husband Soto, a private contractor in the United States Embassy in Bogotá, fabricated a plot to kidnap minors who are United States citizens. They sent information about a purported threat to the safety of minor United States citizens in Bogotá, including detailed descriptions of the targeted citizens, their whereabouts, and daily routines.
Perez and Soto included photographs of the citizens to enhance the seriousness of the threat and attempted to implicate innocent individuals in the kidnapping plot. They made numerous false representations to law enforcement and security officials in furtherance of the fabricated kidnapping plot.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Legal Attaché in Bogotá and the Extra-Territorial Squad of the FBI Miami Field Office. Also participating in the investigation were the DEA, the U.S. Embassy Bogota Regional Security Office, and the U.S. Embassy Bogota Force Protection Detail. The Colombia National Police Directorate of Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Extortion provided assistance in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Justin Weitz of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman-Jackson is scheduled for Aug. 21, 2014. The couple faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This is a developing story, and further details will be provided as they become available. The public is advised to be cautious of any information that may seem suspicious or false, especially in relation to threats to the safety of minors.
Stay tuned for more updates on this case and other crime stories from Grimy Times.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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