A Colombian national was sentenced and another pleaded guilty in separate hearings today in the Southern District of Florida for their respective roles in kidnapping and assaulting two members of the U.S. military who were on temporary duty in Bogotá, Colombia.
Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa, 47, was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison. Silva Ochoa pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person.
Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Protecting Americans, wherever they may be throughout the world, is of paramount importance, and the United States will use every available tool to bring to justice those who harm our citizens,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “In particular, kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. military service members will not go unanswered, and we will hold to account anyone who commits these violent acts against those who protect us.”
“Members of our military, whether serving here or abroad, can count on this Department of Justice’s respect, support, and protection,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Kidnappings and assaults against U.S. service members will not be tolerated. To those who would dare commit such reprehensible acts against America’s heroes, know this: We will identify you; we will find you; and we will prosecute you as aggressively as the law permits.”
“The FBI’s commitment to investigate criminal acts against the U.S. military beyond our borders is clearly demonstrated by our persistent pursuit of justice for the two kidnapped soldiers,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Our close cooperation with Colombian and Chilean law enforcement authorities was essential to this international investigation’s success. To all would be kidnappers the message is clear: target our citizens with violence anywhere in the world and we will hold you accountable for your actions.”
According to court documents, Silva Ochoa and Uribe Chiran, both of Bogotá, and their co-defendant, Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogotá. The two victims, while serving on orders in Colombia, went to an entertainment district in Bogotá to watch a soccer game on the evening of March 5, 2020. They eventually went to a pub, where they lost consciousness until the following day, by which point they had been separated. Medical examinations later confirmed the presence of benzodiazepines in the two victims. The defendants targeted the two victims at the pub, incapacitated them with drugs, and kidnapped them to acquire the victims’ valuables and credit and debit card information. Silva Ochoa and Arango Castellanos used one victim’s credit card and the other victim’s debit card to make purchases and withdraw money.
Silva Ochoa was extradited in April 2024 from Chile to the United States. Uribe Chiran was extradited in September 2024 from Colombia to the United States. Co-defendant Arango Castellanos was extradited in May 2023 from Colombia to the United States, pleaded guilty in January 2024, and was sentenced in May 2024 to 48 years and nine months in prison.
The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices in Bogotá and Santiago, Chile, provided significant assistance in this matter. The United States thanks Colombian and Chilean law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance.
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 for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.