Colombian National Extradited to U.S. for Kidnapping and Assault of Two U.S. Soldiers in Bogota

Colombian National Extradited to U.S. for Kidnapping and Assault of Two U.S. Soldiers in Bogota

A Colombian national, Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, was extradited to the United States on Friday to face charges related to the kidnapping and assault of two U.S. military personnel on temporary duty in Bogotá, Colombia.

Uribe Chiran made her initial court appearance today in Miami, Florida, before Magistrate Judge Eduardo Sanchez of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

According to court documents, the two victims were in an entertainment district in Bogotá on the evening of March 5, 2020, watching a sporting event. While at a pub, the victims lost consciousness and woke up the following day, having been separated. Medical examinations later confirmed the presence of benzodiazepines in their systems. Uribe Chiran and her co-conspirators are alleged to have targeted the two victims at the pub, incapacitated them with drugs, and kidnapped them to steal their valuables and obtain credit and debit card information.

Uribe Chiran is charged with kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, assaulting an internationally protected person, and conspiracy to assault an internationally protected person.

Uribe Chiran is the last of three co-defendants to be extradited. Arango Castellanos, extradited in May 2023, pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 48 years and nine months in prison in May. Silva Ochoa, extradited from Chile in April, is awaiting trial scheduled for November.

The announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri. The FBI is leading the investigation, and Uribe Chiran’s extradition was coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, with assistance from Colombian law enforcement authorities.

Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez are prosecuting the case.

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