Miami, FL – On October 16, Jeffry Arista, 32, and his brother Jonathan Arista, 29, faced their initial appearances in federal court on charges of federal kidnapping.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint filed on October 13, the Arista brothers, along with Raymond Gomez, are accused of abducting a victim at gunpoint outside their apartment. The trio then transported the victim to an Airbnb property in Plantation, Florida. Upon realizing they had kidnapped the wrong person, they allegedly waterboarded the victim and threatened them with firearms, tasers, and an electric drill.
The criminal complaint charges all three men with kidnapping, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a), and conspiracy to kidnap, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1201(c). “If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida.
Raymond Gomez has not yet made his initial court appearance on the charges.
According to authorities, after discovering that the intended target was at a business in Pompano Beach, Florida, the kidnappers ordered the victim to lure the individual out.
The victim used the opportunity to contact law enforcement, leading to the arrest of all three suspects. The announcement of the pending criminal charges was made jointly by U.S. Attorney Lapointe and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI’s Miami Field Office.