2 Illegal Immigrants Charged In Boy's Kidnapping
ICE Agents Say Men Kidnapping Boy To Extort Money From Mother

POSTED: 3:55 pm EST November 5, 2008


PHOENIX -- Federal authorities said they have foiled a plot by two illegal immigrants suspected of holding a 4-year-old West Palm Beach boy hostage as a way to extort money from his mother.

Marlene Garcia, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, alerted the West Palm Beach Police Department after she received telephone calls threatening her son's life and demanding money, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said Wednesday.

Police then notified ICE's Office of Investigations in West Palm Beach, whose agents were able to track the alleged kidnappers to the Phoenix area. ICE agents in Phoenix rescued the boy and arrested two suspects in his kidnapping Oct. 21 at a Mesa, Ariz., hotel.

Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez, a 34-year-old citizen of Guatemala, and Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez, a 25-year-old Mexican citizen, each face kidnapping and extortion charges. They were both indicted by a Maricopa County, Ariz., grand jury Oct. 31.
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