Federal prosecutors said Monday that a Denver man’s roommates transformed their home into a torture site after discovering that he and his family had ties to law enforcement, carrying out a violent ransom scheme allegedly directed by Tren de Aragua (TdA) leaders.
The man endured days of abuse before escaping and arriving at a police station with a finger missing, prosecutors said. His captors recorded the attacks and sent the footage to his wife while demanding that relatives in Venezuela pay a ransom.
Darwin Veliz-Gonzalez, Jefferson Balza-Delfin and Yender Enrique Campos-Malave, all Venezuelan nationals, were each sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the kidnapping and torture, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced.
Sentencing for a fourth defendant was delayed.
“This is what Tren de Aragua was doing in our community,” U.S. Attorney 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 was renting a room in the Denver house when his roommates allegedly learned that he and his father had served as police officers in Venezuela and abducted him, prosecutors said.
The men bound him with rope and held him for several days, giving him little water and no food.
Federal prosecutors said three Venezuelan nationals were each sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and torturing their Denver roommate as part of a ransom scheme carried out for Tren de Aragua. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado)
During the ordeal, the men allegedly filmed themselves tightening a rope around the victim’s neck until he was nearly unconscious. They also repeatedly submerged his head in a bucket of water for at least 30 seconds at a time, threatened him with a gun and struck him with a pistol.
Prosecutors said the recordings were sent to the victim’s wife as part of a demand for money from his family in Venezuela. The men also shared the videos with TdA leaders abroad and sought their guidance during the kidnapping.
After the family failed to pay, one gang leader allegedly recommended cutting off one of the victim’s fingers to force the relatives to send money.
The victim was renting a room in a Denver house when his roommates allegedly discovered that he and his father were police officers in Venezuela. (Dave Parsons via iStock, File)
The victim overheard the captors discussing the plan. Prosecutors said Balza-Delfin then used pliers to cut off the man’s right pinky finger, with the assault recorded on video.
Denver police went to the South Hazel Court residence on Oct. 16, 2024, after receiving a welfare call reporting a possible kidnapping. Officers carried out a limited visual check but saw no one in apparent distress. The victim was still inside but was too frightened to reveal himself, prosecutors said.
After police left, three of the men fled the house, creating an opportunity for the victim to escape. He arrived at a Denver police station the following morning, reported the kidnapping and assault and showed officers that his finger had been severed.
Denver police investigated the alleged kidnapping and torture of a man by his roommates in a ransom scheme prosecutors said was conducted for Tren de Aragua. (Denver Police Department)
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas commended 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 also charged Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas, known by the nickname “Chino San Vicente,” with allegedly taking part in the kidnapping and torture.
Authorities said an armed group of nine suspected Tren de Aragua members was captured on video causing havoc at a Colorado apartment complex. Aurora police described the incident as “very reminiscent” of what the city experienced at another apartment building the previous summer. (Aurora Police)
He is also accused of participating in a broader TdA criminal operation involving robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and drug crimes between May 2024 and approximately March 2025.
The FBI’s Denver Field Office and Denver police investigated the case, which FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski cited as part of the bureau’s efforts to dismantle the gang.
“The FBI, alongside our local, state, federal, and international partners, is working to disrupt and dismantle TdA through intelligence-driven investigations like this from our Violent Criminal Enterprise Task Force,” Koldjeski said.