LOS ANGELES – A brazen kidnapping plot hatched in Mexico culminated in federal prison sentences for a brother and sister who crossed the border to collect a $30,000 ransom, the Justice Department announced Monday. The pair terrorized a neighbor, “R.V.,” in Rosarito, Mexico, before attempting to cash in on the ordeal in San Ysidro, California.
Mario Alex Medina, 55, a.k.a. “Shyboy,” received a crushing 25-year federal prison sentence from United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, along with an order to pay $30,000 in restitution. His sister, María Alejandra Medina, 52, a U.S. citizen residing in Mexico, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and also ordered to pay $30,000 restitution. Both were convicted following a four-day trial in October 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and conspiracy to demand a ransom payment. Mario Medina also faced a conviction for making a foreign communication with intent to extort.
The nightmare began November 5, 2022, when Mario Medina directed accomplices to break into R.V.’s home, kidnapping him at gunpoint. The victim was brutally pistol-whipped and threatened with a firearm. The kidnappers quickly escalated, demanding $70,000 for R.V.’s release. They didn’t just rely on phone calls; the victim’s family received a disturbing video via WhatsApp showing R.V. being beaten, a clear attempt to amplify the pressure. Days later, on November 10th, the ransom demand was lowered to $30,000, coupled with a chilling threat to kill R.V. if the money wasn’t delivered.
Mario Medina played a calculated role, posing as an intermediary between the kidnappers and R.V.’s family. He directed the family to a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, for the ransom drop. The next day, José Salud Medina, 32, a.k.a. “Gordo” – Mario Medina’s son and María Medina’s nephew – and María herself met the family, collected the $30,000, and promptly fled back to Mexico with the cash. The victim, meanwhile, was left tied up and abandoned in a subterranean trench, where he was later rescued by Mexican law enforcement on November 11, 2022.
José Salud Medina remains in Mexican custody on unrelated charges but is expected to be tried separately in the U.S. on identical charges: conspiracy to commit hostage taking, conspiracy to demand a ransom payment, and making a foreign communication with intent to extort. This case highlights the increasingly complex nature of cross-border crime, with perpetrators exploiting the border for financial gain and inflicting violence on both sides.
The investigation was led by the FBI, with Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe, Derek R. Flores (Major Crimes Section), and Michael J. Morse (Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section) prosecuting the case. This conviction sends a clear message: those who engage in such heinous acts will be pursued relentlessly, regardless of borders.”
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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