On Thursday, September 15,202, an indictment returned in the District of Columbia was unsealed, charging Deivy Jose Rodriguez Delgado with his role in the armed hostage-taking of a US citizen in the Dominican Republic in July 2022.
Rodriguez Delgado, 28, was arrested by local authorities in the Dominican Republic on September 10, 2022, and was later transferred to US custody, pursuant to an arrest warrant issued in this matter, where he has been detained since.
He appeared in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida this afternoon and was ordered to be moved to the District of Columbia, where he will face prosecution on the filed indictment.
The indictment stems from the kidnapping and robbery of a U.S. citizen on a temporary work assignment in the Dominican Republic on July 30, 2022. Rodriguez Delgado contacted the victim via a dating app in mid-July 2022 and later scheduled a dinner meeting under the guise of a date.
Rodriguez Delgado met the victim outside his hotel on July 30, 2022, and picked him up in a vehicle. Rodriguez Delgado made an abrupt turn onto a secluded road, where a second suspect quickly entered the vehicle and placed the victim in a headlock.
Rodriguez Delgado and the second suspect, both armed with knives, threatened the victim and demanded money from friends and family to secure his release.
Fearing for his life, the victim complied with the demand and eventually obtained payment from a family member.
Rodriguez Delgado and the suspect also stole the victim’s personal belongings, including his cell phone and ATM card. The victim was released about two and a half hours after being detained and paying a ransom.
