The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York announced Dec. 20 that a federal jury has convicted Khaled Abughanem, 52, and Adham Abughanem, 28, both of Lackawanna, New York, on charges of conspiracy to kidnap a person in a foreign country and kidnapping conspiracy.
In addition, Khaled Abughanem was convicted of threatening to retaliate against a victim, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Prosecutors said that on Sept. 8, 2021, Khaled and Adham Abughanem flew from Buffalo, New York, to Guadalajara, Mexico, to kidnap Khaled’s daughter and Adham’s sister (the victim), the department reported.
Between Sept. 10, 2021, and April 6, 2023, the two conspired to transport the victim from New York to Cairo, Egypt, and then to Sanaa, Yemen, where she was confined for 16 months with the intent of forcing her to marry a man not of her choosing, the department confirmed.
On March 14, 2023, Khaled Abughanem also threatened to “slaughter” the victim in retaliation for providing information to law enforcement about a federal offense, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.