Denver mans escape exposes chilling Tren de Aragua kidnapping plot that lands trio in prison

A mans roommates turned his home into a torture chamber after uncovering his familys law enforcement ties, launching a brutal ransom plot at the direction of violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) leaders, federal prosecutors said Monday.

The alleged victim survived days of abuse before escaping and walking into a missing a finger, prosecutors said. His captors had recorded the torture and sent the video to his wife, demanding money from his family in Venezuela.

Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, Jefferson Balza-Delfin and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave, all , were each sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the kidnapping and torture, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of announced. 

A fourth defendants sentencing was postponed.

BIDEN MADNESS STILL BEING REVEALED AS FATHER KILLED, CHILDREN KIDNAPPED BY TERROR GROUP MEMBER: DOJ

"This is what Tren de Aragua was doing in our community," Peter McNeilly said. "Colorado is safer with these violent criminals in federal prison for the next 20 years, and we will continue to pursue every member of Tren de Aragua until there are no more left in our state."

The victim had been renting a room in the Denver home, when his roommates learned that he and his father were police officers in Venezuela and took him captive, prosecutors said. 

They tied him up with rope and held him for several days without food and with very little water.

SIX MEN ALLEGEDLY KIDNAPPED TWO PEOPLE AT VACATION RESORT, TORTURED THEM AT BOAT RAMP: FBI

During that time, the men filmed themselves strangling him with a rope until he nearly lost consciousness, repeatedly holding his head in a bucket of water for 30 seconds or longer, threatening him with a gun and pistol-whipping him.

They sent the recordings to his wife to demand ransom from his family in Venezuela and shared them with international TdA leaders, whom they consulted about the kidnapping, prosecutors said.

When the family did not pay, one gang leader explicitly suggested cutting off a finger to pressure them into sending money. 

TRUMP SAYS US MILITARY ELIMINATED 'INFAMOUS' TREN DE ARAGUA LEADER IN LETHAL STRIKE

The victim heard his captors discussing the plan before Balza-Delfin used pliers to sever his right pinky finger, an act the men also filmed.

Denver police came to the South Hazel Court home on Oct. 16, 2024, after receiving a welfare call reporting that someone had been kidnapped there. Officers conducted a limited visual search but found no one in distress because the victim, who was still inside, was too afraid to make himself known, prosecutors said.

After the visit, three of the men fled the residence, giving the victim an opportunity to escape. He walked into a Denver police station the next morning, reported the kidnapping and assault and showed officers his missing finger.

Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas praised the victim for coming forward.

"I applaud the victim of this heinous crime, and all victims, regardless of immigration status, for reporting criminal behaviors and helping us arrest those who prey on our community members," Thomas said.

A federal grand jury has separately indicted Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, also known as "Chino San Vicente," f