Overview

• U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced Mario Alex Medina to 25 years and María Alejandra Medina to eight years on September 15, 2025, and ordered $30,000 restitution from each.
• A jury convicted both of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and conspiracy to demand a ransom payment, and jurors also found Mario guilty of making a foreign communication with intent to extort.
• Prosecutors said the pair and accomplices abducted a neighbor in Rosarito in November 2022, pistol-whipped him, and fired a gun near his head.
• Kidnappers first demanded $70,000 and sent a WhatsApp video of the beating, then issued a $30,000 ultimatum before arranging a San Ysidro McDonald’s handoff.
• María and Mario’s son, José Salud Medina, collected the $30,000 and returned to Mexico; Mexican law enforcement later found the victim tied in a trench, and José remains in Mexican custody facing expected separate proceedings.