A Colombian national has been sentenced, and another has pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to kidnap and assault two U.S. Army soldiers in Bogotá, Colombia. The legal proceedings took place in the Southern District of Florida.
Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, 47, received a sentence of 27 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person last December. Meanwhile, Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, also pleaded guilty to the same charge but awaits sentencing.
"Members of our military, whether serving here or abroad, can count on this Department of Justice’s respect, support, and protection," stated United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. He emphasized that such acts against U.S. service members would not be tolerated.
Supervisory Official Antoinette Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division underscored the importance of protecting Americans globally and bringing perpetrators to justice. "In particular, kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. military service members will not go unanswered," she said.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office highlighted the agency's commitment to pursuing justice for crimes against U.S. military personnel overseas. He noted the crucial cooperation with Colombian and Chilean law enforcement authorities during this international investigation.
Court documents reveal that Silva Ochoa and Uribe Chiran, along with co-defendant Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, targeted two U.S. soldiers who were incapacitated and kidnapped while visiting an entertainment district in Bogotá on March 5, 2020. The victims were drugged at a pub before being separated; medical examinations confirmed benzodiazepines were used on them.
The defendants aimed to acquire valuables and credit card information from the soldiers by using drugs to incapacitate them before carrying out the kidnappings. Both Silva Ochoa and Arango Castellanos utilized one victim's credit card and another's debit card for purchases and cash withdrawals.
Silva Ochoa was extradited from Chile in April 2024, while Uribe Chiran was extradited from Colombia in September 2024. Co-defendant Arango Castellanos had been extradited earlier from Colombia in May 2023; he pleaded guilty in January 2024 and received a sentence of 48 years and nine months in May 2024.
The FBI Miami Field Office led the investigation with significant assistance from various divisions within the Justice Department as well as Colombian and Chilean law enforcement authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez for the Southern District of Florida is prosecuting alongside Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.
Further details can be accessed through related court documents available on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 23-cr-20173.