Denver Man Escapes Kidnapping; Three Sentenced for Involvement in Ransom Plot

<p>A Denver man’s roommates allegedly turned his home into a site of torture after discovering his family’s connections to law enforcement, leading to a ransom plot directed by leaders of the Tren de Aragua (TdA), according to federal prosecutors on Monday.</p><p>The victim reportedly endured days of abuse before escaping and arriving at a police station missing a finger. His captors had recorded the torture and sent the video to his wife, demanding money from his family in Venezuela.</p><p>Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, Jefferson Balza-Delfin, and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave, all Venezuelan nationals, were sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for their roles in the kidnapping and torture, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.</p><p>A fourth defendant’s sentencing has been postponed.</p><p>U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly stated, "This is what Tren de Aragua was doing in our community. Colorado is safer with these violent criminals in federal prison for the next 20 years, and we will continue to pursue every member of Tren de Aragua until there are no more left in our state."</p><p>The victim had been renting a room in the Denver home when his roommates learned of his and his father's police officer status in Venezuela and subsequently took him captive, prosecutors said.</p><p>He was reportedly tied up with rope and held for several days without food and with very little water.</p><p>During this period, the captors filmed themselves strangling him with a rope until he nearly lost consciousness, repeatedly submerging his head in a bucket of water for extended periods, threatening him with a gun, and pistol-whipping him.</p><p>The recordings were sent to his wife to demand ransom from his family in Venezuela and were shared with international TdA leaders, who were consulted during the kidnapping, according to prosecutors.</p><p>When the family did not pay, one gang leader suggested cutting off a finger to pressure them into sending money.</p><p>The victim overheard his captors discussing this plan before Balza-Delfin used pliers to sever his right pinky finger, an act that was also filmed.</p><p>Denver police responded to a welfare call regarding a kidnapping at the South Hazel Court home on October 16, 2024. Officers conducted a limited visual search but did not find anyone in distress, as the victim was too afraid to reveal himself.</p><p>After the police visit, three of the men fled the residence, allowing the victim to escape. He walked into a Denver police station the following morning, reported the kidnapping and assault, and showed officers his missing finger.</p><p>Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas commended the victim for coming forward, stating, "I applaud the victim of this heinous crime, and all victims, regardless of immigration status, for reporting criminal behaviors and helping us arrest those who prey on our community members."</p><p>A federal grand jury has also indicted Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, known as "Chino San Vicente," for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and torture.</p><p>He is accused of participating in a broader TdA criminal operation involving robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and drug crimes from May 2024 to approximately March 2025.</p><p>The FBI’s Denver Field Office and Denver police investigated the case, which FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski described as part of the bureau’s efforts to dismantle the gang.</p><p>"The FBI, alongside our local, state, federal, and international partners, is working to disrupt and dismantle TdA through intelligence-driven investigations like this from our Violent Criminal Enterprise Task Force," Koldjeski said.</p>