Three men were found guilty of their roles in a violent kidnapping and robbery of a Southern California businessman who was later abandoned in a remote area.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified the suspects, all Northern California residents, as:
- Jerome Franklin, Jr., 45, a.k.a. “Rome”
- Andrae Hawkins, 41, a.k.a. “Plates”
- De’Andre Lamont King, 31
The three men were joined by two other suspects, Peter Arafiles, Jr., 31, and Shanjeet Brar, 59, both of Sacramento, who had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the scheme in September 2025.
On Oct. 27, 2023, the group traveled from Sacramento to Lancaster to kidnap the victim from his workplace. They beat the victim, zip-tied his hands behind his back and duct-taped his turban over his face.
They demanded $100,000 or more from him, as well as gold and jewelry and threatened to kill him and his family if he did not comply, court documents said…