Five Plead Guilty in Kidnapping Plot That Targeted Detroit Man After Viral Gift

Overview

• Four defendants — Roland Chatmon, Leica Lopez Martinez, Ieasha Stroman and Dneiqua Stroman — recently pleaded guilty to a federal kidnapping conspiracy and firearms offenses while a fifth, Kenneth Anderson, earlier pleaded guilty to money laundering.
• Prosecutors say the group lured the victim, carjacked and hogtied him, forced ATM withdrawals, stole a home safe, tied up a relative, and set the victim’s truck on fire during the Sept. 1, 2025 attack.
• Federal investigators say Chatmon hatched the plot after recorded calls with an incarcerated brother and then recruited co-conspirators to carry out the violent theft of the funds raised after the victim went viral.
• The four defendants face a statutory minimum of seven years in federal prison with sentencing scheduled for February–March 2027 while Anderson was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution.
• The victim, Curtis Dixon, continues to report unrecovered money, housing trouble and lasting physical and emotional harm, and prosecutors say the case highlights how publicized donations and apps like Cash App can be exploited in theft schemes.