FBI photo
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged two more men in the fatal $2 million extortion kidnapping of a San Gabriel Valley car salesman near Los Angeles, reports KTLA.
28-year old Anthony Valladares is accused of being the muscle man in the plot while 24-year-old Alexis Ivan Romero Velez is suspected of driving the getaway car.
The charges follows last year’s indictment of Guangyao Yang, 26, and Peicheng Shen, 34.
Investigators found Liao’s body in the Mojave Desert two years ago.
“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,” U.S. DOJ spokesman Thom Mrozek said in a written statement released to Pasadena Now.
“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.”
During the ordeal, Liao’s parents in China began receiving ransom demands.
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