Two men accused of kidnapping a victim at gunpoint and torturing him with a blowtorch were indicted.  One man is currently being detained in South Florida, and the second was arrested and is currently being detained in Spain.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Sonia Quiñones, Chief, Hallandale Beach Police Department, made the announcement.

Sergei Nkorina, 53, of Tenerife, Spain, and Justin Boccio, 33, of Deerfield Beach, were charged by indictment (Case No. 19-20261-CR-CMA) with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, 1201(c); kidnapping, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a); and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).  Nkorina and Boccio were previously charged by criminal complaint (Case No. 19-mj-2496; 19-mj-2491).

According to court records and allegations, Nkorina and Boccio plotted to kidnap and torture a victim in an attempt to obtain tens of thousands of dollars from him.  To facilitate the kidnapping, on or about December 30, 2018, Nkorina and Boccio purchased supplies at a Home Depot in Broward County, Florida.  On or about January 5, 2019, the defendants rented a van from Budget with Florida tag number GHPT19.  Then, on January 14, 2019, Boccio entered the victim’s office and made false representations on paperwork inside of the victim’s office.  Later that same day, Nkorina and Boccio intercepted the victim in a Walmart parking lot in Broward County.  It is further alleged in court records, that Nkorina and Boccio blindfolded the victim and forced the victim into the rental van.  The defendants transported their victim to a storage facility in Margate, Florida, in which they burned the victim’s hands with a blowtorch while threatening to kill him with a firearm and other weapons.  Nkorina and Boccio demanded information about the victim’s home address, including access codes to the victim’s residence.  The next day, Nkorina visited the premises of the victim’s home while carrying a firearm.  Nkorina and Boccio left the victim, with his hands and feet bound, in his vehicle in the parking lot of Cheetah Gentlemen’s Club in Broward County, Florida.

Each defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison if convicted on either one count of kidnapping or one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.  In addition, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on the firearm charge.

An indictment and a criminal complaint are merely accusations.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, Hallandale Beach Police Department, and South Florida Violent Crimes Task Force in this matter.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa H. Miller.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.