Four men were indicted on federal kidnapping charges after they allegedly abducted and assaulted their roommate for two days in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood, including cutting off his finger, according to court records.
Jose Pineda-Moreno, 19, and Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, 34, were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, assault and criminal extortion after their roommate told Denver police he was held against his will on Oct. 16 and 17 in the 500 block of South Hazel Court.
No cases against Pineda-Moreno and Veliz-Gonzalez appear in state court records, which typically means the charges have been dismissed and cases sealed, but both are named in a federal grand jury indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on March 5.
Jefferson Balza-Delfin and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave were also indicted on one count of kidnapping in the case.
One of the suspects, Pineda-Moreno, was listed as being from Venezuela and is affiliated with a gang, according to court records. Similar records for the other three men were not available.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado declined to comment on the case. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Denver field office referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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