Federal authorities have announced new federal charges in the kidnapping and execution-style murder of a man in Farmers Branch, Texas, allegedly involving members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Charges Announced
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and the U.S. Attorneys for the Northern District of Texas and the Northern District of Illinois announced developments in two separate cases involving the criminal organization designated a ‘foreign terrorist organization.’
Blanche announced that eight allegedly illegal immigrant members of Tren de Aragua are charged with “vicious kidnappings and murders in separate cases out of Texas and Illinois.” Five of the members were charged in Texas and three were charged in Illinois, according to Blanche.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas addressed the August 2024 kidnapping and murder of a fellow TDA member that led him to open an investigation. “Farmers Branch police found the man on the side of the road, abandoned and bleeding from the head because of a single gunshot right between his eyes,” said Raybould.
Farmers Branch police said the victim, Nilzuly Petit, was an affiliate of the gang and withheld stolen money from group members, leading the defendants to kidnap Petit and two minors outside an apartment complex in Dallas. The men reportedly drove the victim to Farmers Branch and executed Petit in front of the children. The two minors were later released in another city.
Investigation and Charges
An 8-page indictment details allegations against five men now facing federal charges for racketeering, murder, kidnapping, and jackpotting in the Farmers Branch case.
According to Blanche, the suspects all entered the U.S. between December 2021 and April 2024, during the Biden Administration. “None of these men should have been in this country,” said Blanche.
The Trump Administration has designated TDA as a ‘foreign terrorist organization.’ When asked if any of the men could face terrorism charges, the officials said they will look at any other potential charges, including terrorism.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
