Pasadena Man, Azusa Man Arrested in Connection with Deadly Kidnapping and Extortion Plot

FBI agents arrested a Pasadena man and an Azusa man Tuesday for their roles in a scheme to kidnap an Orange County man and attempt to extort $2 million from his family before leaving his body buried in the Mojave Desert two years ago, authorities said.

Anthony Valladares, 28, of Pasadena and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, of Azusa, were taken into custody by FBI agents and members of the San Gabriel Valley Sage Street Task Force after they went to the Pasadena Police Department to be interviewed, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI officials.

Vallardes and Velez were each charged in federal court Wednesday with kidnapping. They were ordered held without bail and ordered to return to court for preliminary hearings on July 29, Mrozek said.

The suspects join two former West Covina men already in custody in China and awaiting trial for the kidnapping and killing of Ruochen “Tony” Liao, 28, of Santa Ana, who was kidnapped from a mall parking lot in San Gabriel on July 16, 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Guangyao Yang, 26, and Peicheng Shen, 34, are charged with conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, attempted extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and threat by foreign communication, U.S. DOJ spokesman Thom Mrozek said in a written statement. They were arrested in China, where they fled following the alleged crimes.

“During the investigation, the FBI learned that Valladares and Romero worked with Yang and Shen to conduct the kidnapping, during which Liao was repeatedly beaten and tased into submission,” Mrozek said.

Valladares was hired to be the “muscle” in the kidnapping, while Velez was hired to drive the vehicle used in the crime, prosecutors said. Valladares told investigators he had been paid $1,000 to take part.

Following the abduction, Liao’s parents in China began receiving ransom demands, “and ‘proof-of-life’ photos suggesting that Liao had been badly beaten, blindfolded, and tied up with duct tape,” according to Mrozek.

The family members were told to deposit $2 million into Chinese bank accounts within three hours, officials said. Liao’s father heard his son asking for help, as well as what he believed were the sounds of his son being beaten, during a phone call, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

A male voice told the parents, “Your son has made me very poor. I have lost everything and suffered a divorce because of him. I have been looking for Tony for a long time. You must pay two million U.S. dollars in exchange for his life,” the affidavit stated.

Liao was believed to have been held captive inside a closet at a Corona home, prosecutors said.

“During his captivity, investigators believe Liao was frequently beaten and ultimately died the night of July 17,” Mrozek said. “During the early morning of July 18, investigators believe Yang and Shen drove to the desert near the town of Mojave to bury Liao’s body.”

FBI forensic investigators used DNA to identify Liao’s remains on July 26, 2019, officials said.

The federal kidnapping charges, alone, carry a potential maximum sentence of life in federal prison, while the extortion and threat charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison each.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the nationality of suspects Anthony Valladares and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, The story has been updated.