Fake Kidnapping, Real Jail: DC Woman Stages Own Abduction In Bizarre Extortion Plot, Police Say
Stranger than fiction.
A woman sent a photo of herself bound and gagged to help shake down her own friend for ransom money, police in DC say.
The twisted scheme unfolded on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, when officers were called about a possible kidnapping in Southeast Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
To make it convincing, they sent a photo.
The image showed the friend bound and gagged, and the suspects demanded ransom money in exchange for her safe release, police said.
Instead of paying, the victim called the authorities.
Officers responded to the 1900 block of …
Manhunt Ends As Waldorf Fugitive Nabbed In Maryland After Choking Woman, Gun Threat: Sheriff
A fugitive accused of choking a woman and pulling a gun on her has been caught after a months-long manhunt in Maryland, authorities announced.
Rome Delmar Watkins, 27, of Waldorf, was taken into custody on Tuesday, Sept. 16, after members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the US Marshals Service, and the US Park Police tracked him down.
Watkins had been wanted since April 20, when deputies said he assaulted a woman inside a Waldorf home after being asked to leave.
During the assault, Watkins reportedly choked the woman, and after exiting the home, he pulled a handgun from his waistba…
Family Charged In Murder Of Missing NJ Man: Camden County Prosecutor
Three people, a husband and wife and their son are charged with murdering a Deptford man whose body remains missing, authorities announced Thursday, Sept. 11.
On Saturday, June 14, Harold Miller, a Deptford man was reported missing after he was playing cards with friends on Thursday, June 12, County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay and Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez said.. Miller's empty vehicle was located in Pennsauken on June 14, authorities said.
During the investigation, detectives located surveillance video and cell phone data that showed Miller entered a residence on the …
MS-13 Gang Leader 'Pirana' Wanted For Murder, Kidnapping, Deported From Pennsylvania: ICE
A dangerous MS-13 gang leader wanted for kidnapping, extortion, and murder was removed from the United States after finishing a federal sentence in Pennsylvania, ICE announced on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Jose Alberto Zamora-Zamora, 31, also known as “Pirana,” was flown back to El Salvador on Aug. 15 after being arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia. He had just completed a 24-month sentence for illegal reentry at Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low in Union County, according to officials.
Zamora-Zamora was previously deported in December 2022 but returned …
US Marshals Capture Vineland Murder Suspect At Villanova Parking Garage: Authorities
A 26-year-old New Jersey man wanted for fatally stabbing his grandfather was arrested in Pennsylvania, authorities announced Tuesday, Aug. 27.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 11 p.m., officers responded to a stabbing at Diamond Drive and found Albert Moir, 59, who had been stabbed in his home and died of his injuries, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said.
Shawn Moir, Albert's grandson was charged with murder and multiple weapons offenses, Webb-McRae said.
Moir fled the scene prior to arrival, but was apprehended by the US Marshal's Service in his vehicle, which was parked ins…
Beverly Murder Suspect Arrested In Virginia: Prosecutor
A New Jersey man has been arrested in Virginia in connection with the fatal shooting of a local resident two months ago, authorities said.
James H. McDowell Jr., 33, of Beverly City, was charged with murder, certain persons not to have firearms, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and City of Burlington Police Chief Ryan P. Elbertson said in a joint statement.
McDowell was taken into custody in Roanoke, VA, on Aug. 15 and lodged in the Roanoke City Adult Detention Center pending extra…
Child Sextortion: Man Sent Bergen County Kid Explicit Pics, Threatened Exposure, Officials Say
A Wisconsin man has been charged with sexually extorting a child under the age of 13 in New Jersey, authorities announced.
Christopher Battin, 34, of Milwaukee, was arrested Tuesday, July 22, by the United States Marshals Service in Wisconsin, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
The investigation began on March 7, when North Arlington police contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit. They reported that a child under 13 was being contacted online by a stranger, Musella said.
Detectives quickly suspected the online contact was an adult sexually extortin…
PA Man Arrested For Voorhees Bank Robbery: Prosecutor
A 35-year-old Bucks County man was arrested and charged with robbing a bank in Voorhees, authorities announced Monday, July 7.
On Friday, June 27, at 11:45 a.m., police responded to the Bank of Princeton at 133 Route 73 after a man, later identified as Phu Nguygen, passed a demand note to the teller and reportedly showed that he had a firearm in his waistband, Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay and Voorhees Township Police Chief Louis Bordi said.
Nguygen received an undisclosed amount of money and fled the area, authorities said.
He was taken into custody on Thursday, July 3…
Philly Exotic Dancer's Body Found Stuffed In Futon, Co-Worker Arrested 3,732 Miles Away
A 21-year-old woman was found dead, stuffed inside a futon in her Philadelphia apartment, and her alleged killer has been captured overseas, authorities announced on Friday, June 27.
The body of Yuleisy Carolina Torrelles-Martinez was discovered on Saturday, April 5, inside her living room couch in the 4400 block of Frankford Avenue, after friends grew concerned when she hadn't answered the door for days. Police were called to the apartment and found her wrapped in a shower curtain and trash bags, Philadelphia police said.
Medics pronounced Torrelles-Martinez dead at 8:26 a.m. A post-mortem…
Missing Child Found Alive 1,000 Miles Home Year Later In Routine East Hartford Traffic Stop
A child who vanished from Georgia more than a year ago has been safely found in Connecticut after a traffic stop unraveled a disturbing case of custody interference, authorities said.
The child’s mother, who did not have legal custody, fled with the child during a scheduled visit on October 23, 2023, violating a court order from Cobb County, Georgia, according to the US Marshals Service.
Authorities say she refused to return the child even after the court demanded it, instead claiming she was a sovereign citizen who “did not recognize the decision of the court," the marshals said…
Bloods Gang Member, Ex-Con Wanted By US Marshals Fights Paramus Cops: Police
A Bloods gang member and ex-con wanted by the US Marshals Service in a string of charges across New Jersey was arrested in Paramus, where he tried fighting off Paramus officers, police said.
Paramus officers Jason Hrbek, Michael Cleary, and Matthew Orefice responded to Howland Avenue for a dispute where they encountered Danny Urena, 32, of Passaic on Thursday, June 19 at approximately 1:15 p.m., Paramus Police Deputy Chief Frank Scott said.
Urena, standing at 6 feet and 3 inches and weighing 310 pounds, gave officers a false name, tried fleeing, and “continually flailed his arms and le…
US Marshals Capture Fugitive Who Rammed Cop With Car At South Brunswick Hotel: Police
A months-long manhunt ended this week with the arrest of a fugitive accused of trying to kill a police officer during a wild escape from a New Jersey hotel, authorities said.
Luis Duval-Jimenez, 31, of New Brunswick, was wanted for attempted murder of a police officer after an incident on May 15, in South Brunswick, officials said in a news release from the South Brunswick Police Department.
Duval-Jimenez was arrested early Wednesday, June 18, by the U.S. Marshals Service in North Arlington, police said.
The charges stem from a confrontation at Hotel Vincenza, located at 3793 Route 1, wher…
