Khaled Abughanem, Kidnapping Conspiracy, New York 2025

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A federal jury has convicted a father and son duo in a kidnapping conspiracy that attempted to force their daughter to marry in Yemen.

Khaled Abughanem, 52, and Adham Abughanem, 28, both of Lackawanna, NY, were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap a person in a foreign country and kidnapping conspiracy, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Defendant Khaled Abughanem was also convicted of threatening to retaliate against a victim.

The conviction stems from a plot to kidnap the defendants’ daughter, Victim 1, and transport her from the Western District of New York to Cairo, Egypt, and then to Sanaa, Yemen. The victim was confined for approximately 16 months with the purpose of marrying her to a man not of her choosing.

The investigation revealed that the defendants flew from Buffalo, NY, to Guadalajara, Mexico on September 8, 2021, in an attempt to kidnap the victim. Between September 10, 2021, and April 6, 2023, the defendants conspired to transport the victim to Yemen, where she was held against her will.

“This verdict brings to an end a difficult time for the victim, who was twice kidnapped by family members, taken to Yemen against her will, held for more than a year, denied freedom of movement and communication, physically assaulted and had her life threatened” stated U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross.

The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Protective Intelligence Investigations Director Greg Anderson.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2025, before Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., who presided over the trial of the case. Khaled and Adham Abughanem face a maximum penalty of life in prison for their crimes.

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