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Azusa, Pasadena men charged in kidnapping that left an Orange County car dealer dead

by in News

LOS ANGELES — Two men were charged Wednesday with kidnapping a Chinese national from a Los Angeles-area shopping mall in a $2 million ransom scheme that went wrong when the victim died from his injuries, authorities said.

FBI agents provided security camera footage of two vehicles believed to be involved in the kidnapping of Ruochen “Tony” Liao on July 16, 2018, from a shopping center in San Gabriel. The first image on the left shows a black SUV, believed to be a Cadillac or Range Rover, and that two of the kidnapping suspects fled the area in. The second shows a black minivan, believed to be a Toyota Sienna, with another kidnapping suspect and the victim. (Photo courtesy of FBI)

Anthony Valladares, 28, of Pasadena and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, of Azusa were arrested Tuesday on kidnapping charges and could face life in prison if convicted, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It wasn’t immediately known whether they had attorneys.

Federal prosecutors contend that Valladres was hired as “muscle” and Velez to be the driver of a minivan in the July 16, 2018, kidnapping of Ruochen “Tony” Liao, a car dealer from Santa Ana, from a mall parking lot in suburban San Gabriel.

Valladares told investigators that he was to be paid $1,000 for his role in the kidnapping and said he hired Romero as the driver, according to an FBI affidavit.

Liao owned a Costa Mesa car dealership that sold high-end cars such as Porches and Bentleys.

Liao’s parents in China were sent ransom demands and ordered to deposit payment in Chinese bank accounts, according to court documents.

However, the money wasn’t paid, authorities said.

Liao was badly beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun during the snatching. He was believed to have been held in a closet at a home in Corona and died the day after the kidnapping and was buried in the Mojave Desert authorities said.

His remains were identified last year.

Two Chinese citizens who had been living in West Covina have been charged with orchestrating the crime. Guangyao Yang, 26, and Peicheng Shen, 34, are being held in China on charges filed there related to the kidnapping, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.It was believed that the men arranged the kidnapping to collect a debt from Liao, according to court documents.