Rosarito siblings may face life in prison for extorting L.A. area family in kidnapping plot

A brother and sister from Mexico were convicted of kidnapping a neighbor and threatening to kill the victim unless his Southern California family paid a ransom, according to federal authorities.

On Friday, Mario Alex Medina, 54, and María Alejandra Medina, 51, of Rosarito, Mexico, were found guilty for their roles in the violent kidnapping and ransom scheme that occurred two years ago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Mario Medina, who was also convicted of an international extortion charge, enlisted his sister and son in a scheme intended to defraud their neighbor’s family out of tens of thousands of dollars, authorities said.

His son, José Salud Medina, 31, is in custody on unrelated charges in Mexico, where he is expected to be tried separately in connection with the kidnapping.

“These defendants subjected their victim and his family to a terrifying ordeal in order to illegally profit,” said U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada. “Such callous disregard for others and cavalier use of violence cannot and will not be tolerated. These defendants will now appropriately face justice for their crimes.”

On Nov. 5, 2022, Mario Medina and his accomplices broke into the neighbor’s home near Rosarito, a resort town about 20 miles south of Tijuana, federal prosecutors said. They kidnapped the victim at gunpoint, pistol-whipping him and firing a gun near his head.

The next day, one of the kidnappers called the victim’s relatives who live in Los Angeles County, demanding $70,000 for his release. They also sent a video through WhatsApp instant messager of him being beaten.

The following week, they phoned the victim’s family, again, and threatened to kill the victim if his family did not pay $30,000, authorities said. Sometime after that call, Mario Medina pretended to be an intermediary between the victim’s family and the hostage takers.

Mario Medina told the victim’s family to meet at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, to make the ransom payment.

José and María Medina met the victim’s family to collect the $30,000, which they took to Mexico, authorities said. The Medina family left the victim tied up and alone in a trench, where Mexican law enforcement rescued him.

Mario and María Medina are scheduled to appear in federal court on Feb. 3 for sentencing. They face up to life in federal prison.