Six men allegedly kidnapped two people at a Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Florida and subjected them to torture, officials say.
The incident began on the night of May 29 at the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, when one of the suspects “pressured” a victim and a witness into traveling to a car show in a remote part of Broward County, Florida, according to a recently unsealed court document. Saul Alfonso Fajardo, 19, Justin Phihoang Le, 20, Amari Tamire Hill, 21, Anthony Teruel Hernandez, 18, Marikevies McNichols Jr., 19, and Weilen Hernandez, 20, face charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The two victims, who weren’t identified in court documents, met up with “Saul” and a female suspect at the Margaritaville parking garage. Once there, several people forced the two victims into two separate cars at gunpoint, according to court documents.
Officials said Hill slammed one of the victims onto a car and shoved him into the passenger seat. Phihoang then allegedly warned the victim, “If you try to get out, I’m going to end your life,” adding, “I am going to kill you and your family.” Fearing for his life, the victim complied.
An FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that all people were armed with semiautomatic weapons and were wearing “shiesty” masks with latex gloves on.
The other victim was forced into a separate vehicle, according to the documents.
The complaint states that Phihoang allegedly demanded that one of the victims hand over money if he wanted to live, then forced him to call friends to try to come up with the cash.
“If I don’t get my money, every 10 minutes I’m going to take one of your fingernails,” Phihoang allegedly told the victim.
At the spot, the victim “observed a pair of pliers inside the car and believed they were going to pull his fingernails off, so he continued calling people in an attempt to get money,” according to the criminal complaint. Meanwhile, the victim in the other car was allegedly held at gunpoint.
Both victims were eventually taken to a location one of the suspects referred to as “the spot,” which turned out to be the West Broward Boat Ramp.
Once there, the FBI agent said both victims were “forced to kneel at gunpoint,” and one of the suspects noticed a tattoo on one of the victims. The pair were allegedly robbed of their personal belongings, including phones, jewelry, clothing and other personal items. One of the victims was reportedly forced to send $400 through Zelle.
“I’m gonna burn the tattoo off of you, you don’t deserve to have it. I’m going to torture you,” Phihoang allegedly said.
“Don’t cry,” he allegedly said. “I will kill your family if you go to the police. We are not done.”
The suspects even forced the two victims to strip down to their underwear while demanding money, according to the complaint, which added that Hill fired a round into the air during a video call “in an attempt to let the person on the phone know they were serious.”
At one point, the suspects grew concerned that the second victim’s ankle monitor could reveal their location to police, and they allegedly dropped him off within a subdivision of Cooper City, where the victim walked to a relative’s home wearing nothing but underwear.
The other victim allegedly watched the suspects “burning something” at the boat ramp, then heard someone say, “We have to burn the evidence,” according to the FBI agent. Fearing for his life, the victim then began faking a seizure.
After the suspects put the victim into a car, one of the men “began to panic” and threw the victim out, allowing him to make his way to safety.
Authorities allegedly recovered burned clothing and more of the victims’ belongings at the boat ramp, along with surveillance footage.
Messages between the unidentified female suspect and Fajardo allegedly confirm that the first victim was assaulted.
“He got jump injuries,” one of the messages read. “DELETE INSTA.”
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