FBI accuses 6 of armed Margaritaville kidnapping involving blowtorch torture, extortion

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Six men are facing federal charges in connection with an armed kidnapping and robbery that began in the parking garage of the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, involving torture with a blowtorch, a gunshot and extortion, according to court documents made public on Wednesday.

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One of the two victims ended up dumped off the side of the road in the Weston area after faking a seizure in a successful attempt to spook the kidnappers, authorities said in a newly-unsealed federal criminal complaint.

Authorities identified the suspects, all facing charges in Fort Lauderdale federal court of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, as:

• Saul Alfonso Fajardo, 19, of Hollywood
• Anthony Teruel Hernandez, 18, of Miami
• Weilen Hernandez, 20, of Miami
• Amari Tamire Hill, 21, of Sunrise
• Justin Phihoang Le, 20, of Miramar
• Marikevies McNichols Jr., 19, of Homestead

Authorities said they were joined by a 17-year-old girl, not identified in court documents, in committing the crime. Court documents do not outline a specific motive, though they state the victims knew at least some of the men.

Margaritaville encounter

According to investigators, the series of events began the night of May 26, with Fajardo, known to the victims as “Gordo,” “pressuring” one of the victims and a witness to meet them at a car show at the West Broward Boat Ramp, off U.S. 27 in a remote part of the county.

Authorities said after the second victim got off work at a hotel on Hollywood Beach, the victims and the witness began walking on the Broadwalk towards Margaritaville. Fajardo and the teenage girl approached them and asked if they wanted to go to his car in the Margaritaville garage, at 1111 N. Ocean Drive, “to smoke weed;” they agreed.

The complaint states that one of the victims began smoking marijuana in Fajardo’s Hyundai while the other victim and witness were standing outside. Then, a blue Cadillac with four suspects pulled up. Authorities said the victim was able to identify three of them: Le, known as “Chino;” Hill, known as “Black;” and McNichols, known as “Keeve” or “Agent.”

Authorities said they later identified the other suspect as Weilen Hernandez. All were armed with semi-automatic weapons, wearing “shiesty” masks and had latex gloves on, agents said.

Anthony Hernandez was seen on surveillance driving a third vehicle, a Honda Accord, the complaint states.

Authorities said Hill rushed the first victim, slammed him onto the hood of Fajardo’s car, pistol-whipped and punched him. Fajardo said, “Chill out, not on my car,” according to the complaint.

Journey to ‘The Spot’

The complaint states that one victim was eventually forced into the Hyundai while the other was forced into the Honda.

The suspects in the Accord held the victim at gunpoint, agents said, while the victim in the Elantra was forced to call friends seeking money for his release.

According to the complaint, Le, in the Hyundai, told the victim, “If I don’t get my money, every ten minutes I’m going to take one of your fingernails.”

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,” the complaint states.

Eventually, both victims were taken to a location known “The Spot,” later identified through GPS data as the West Broward Boat Ramp.

Torture, robbery allegations

Investigators said both victims were forced to kneel at gunpoint. While on their knees, the complaint states that one of the victims was held down to expose his racing flag tattoo.

According to the complaint, Le approached with a blowtorch and told the victim ― who had a cloth stuffed into his mouth ― “I’m gonna burn the tattoo off of you, you don’t deserve to have it. I’m going to torture you.”

Le burned the victim, telling him, “Don’t cry,” authorities said, and told him “I will kill your family if you go to the police. We are not done.”

Authorities said the group ordered the two to strip to their underwear at gunpoint and continued to demand money. Hill, the complaint states, fired a round into the air while on a video call “in an attempt to let the person on the phone know they were serious.”

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“We’re not playing,” he said, according to the FBI.

Authorities said the two were robbed of jewelry, phones, clothing and other personal belongings and subjected to further threats and violence.

One of the victims had also been forced to send $400 through Zelle, according to the complaint.

FBI: Suspects spooked by one victim’s ankle monitor, other’s fake seizure

According to the complaint, the suspects became concerned that the second victim’s ankle monitor could reveal their location. They took him away in one of the cars, authorities said, and after being asked his address, the victim intentionally gave a false location and had them drop him off at a subdivision at Flamingo Road and West Lake Boulevard in Cooper City.

The victim told investigators that “he walked to a relative’s residence in nothing but his underwear” and summoned help.

Meanwhile, authorities said the other victim was lying in the grass at the boat ramp and saw the suspects “burning something,” hearing someone say, “We have to burn the evidence.”

According to the complaint, the victim, “in fear for his life” and thinking he was about to be killed, “began faking a seizure.”

Agents said the suspects got nervous and said Hill “checking his pulse to make sure he was still alive.” According to the complaint, they loaded the victim into one of the cars, drove for about 10 minutes while checking his pulse, before one of the kidnappers “began to panic,” leading them to throw him out of the car.

The victim eventually made his way to a Weston neighborhood and asked two people he saw out walking to call the police, the complaint. The Broward Sheriff’s Office responded and medics took him to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries from the pistol-whipping and blow torch burn.

Investigation

Authorities said surveillance video tied the suspects to the crime and investigators recovered burned clothing and other items belonging to the victims at the boat ramp.

Authorities said Anthony Hernandez and the 17-year-old girl later gave statements to Hollywood police and attempted to minimize their involvement in the crime. However, they said text messages found on the girl’s phone, between her and Fajardo, confirmed that the first victim was assaulted and there was video evidence.

Agents said text messages additionally showed Fajardo telling the girl to delete any messages about the victim.

“He got jump injuries,” one of the messages allegedly read. Another allegedly read, “DELETE INSTA.”

The complaint states that when Hollywood police later spotted Weilen Hernandez and his Cadillac, he “admitted to being a driver and being present at ‘The Spot,’ he denied involvement in the assault but admitted to being outside the car and observing (the victim) being assaulted.”

Jail records show that all of the adult suspects would be taken into custody over a five-day period beginning on June 1.

What’s next

Records show that as of Wednesday, all were being held in the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Federal court records show five of the six suspects ― sans Hill ― have detention hearings scheduled in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Monday. All have arraignment dates ranging from next Tuesday through June 23.

It’s unclear whether the 17-year-old girl was in custody or charged. She is referred to in the complaint as the “minor suspect.”

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