Armed kidnapping scheme targets immigrants, police say

Three people have been arrested and there could be more after a kidnapping, armed robbery and beating that may be part of a criminal scheme targeting undocumented immigrants, Davie police said.

The abduction happened about 9 p.m. Saturday and ended about 8:45 a.m. Sunday after the victim was beaten, robbed, and threatened with death or deportation if he went to the police, said Sgt. Mark Leone.

“It is believed that this group is targeting undocumented immigrants and robbing them for their cash,” he said. “We believe that they target these undocumented immigrants because they are less likely to report being a victim of a crime to the police.”

Natalie Rebecca Williams, Joshua

Aaron Reiff and Andres Rafael have been charged, so far. They were among seven people involved in the crime, police said.

According to the arrest report, Williams, 34, of Davie, approached the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a stop sign in the 13000 block of State Road 84.

She asked the driver for a ride but he refused until another man stepped in front of the truck as Williams reached through the passenger side window to open the door.

Williams, carrying a black handgun, and the man who blocked the truck got in and directed the driver to a home in the 13000 block of Southwest Sixth Court in the Western Hills Mobile Home Park in Davie.

When they arrived, the pair blindfolded the driver and led him inside the home where five more men were waiting. They tied the driver’s hands behind his back, sat him on a wooden chair, took off the blindfold and took turns punching his head, stomach and back, the report said.

They told him to empty his pockets, took $1,387 in cash he was carrying, demanded his ATM card, and threatened to kill him if he gave them the wrong PIN code. They also took about $4,000 worth of tools from his truck, investigators said.

The group repeatedly threatened to kill him if he went to the police and said he would be deported for being an illegal alien. Williams added she would tell police he tried to rape her, the report stated.

When released, the driver drove off in his damaged truck, and got treated for his injuries including several stitches in his bruised face.

He led detectives back to the mobile home Wednesday. They searched it Thursday and arrested Williams, Reiff, and Rafael on charges that include armed robbery, aggravated battery and kidnapping, records showed.

“We believe she’s the ringleader,” Leone said.

During questioning, Williams claimed the driver raped her and left his cellphone and ATM card behind when he left, police said.

Williams

Reiff