Lackawanna Father & Son Convicted For Kidnapping Family Member
Monday, December 30, 2024, 11:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebook Independent News,
BUFFALO, NY.- On Friday, a 52-year-old Lackawanna, New York man, and his 28-year-old learned they potentially would be spending the rest of their lives in federal prison for kidnapping conspiracies to force their family member into a forced arranged marriage in Yemen.
According to U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross, on Friday, December 20, 2024, a federal jury for the Western District of New York found Khaled Abughanem, 52, and Adham Abughanem, 28, both of Lackawanna, New York, guilty of federal Conspiracy to Kidnap a Person in a Foreign Country; and Kidnapping Conspiracy. Khaled Abughanem was also found guilty of Threatening to Retaliate Against a Victim.
Following the jury’s return of the conviction, U.S. District Court Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr., who presided over the trial, accepted the jury’s verdict and scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2025, at which time both men face a maximum of life in federal prison.
According To Evidence Presented At Trial
According to evidence and testimony presented during the trial, that on September 8, 2021, both men flew from Buffalo, New York, to Guadalajara, Mexico, to kidnap the female victim, who is the daughter of Khaled and the sister of Adham. Between September 10, 2021, and April 6, 2023, Khaled and Adham conspired to transport the woman from the Western District of New York to Cairo, Egypt, and then to Sanaa, Yemen, where they confined the woman for approximately sixteen months to marry her to a man not of her choosing.
In addition, on March 14, 2023, Khaled Abughanem threatened to slaughter the woman in retaliation for information given by the woman to a law enforcement officer in connection with her kidnapping.
“This verdict brings to an end a difficult time for the victim, who was twice kidnapped by family members, taken to Yemen against her will, held for more than a year, denied freedom of movement and communication, physically assaulted, and had her life threatened,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “These defendants are being held accountable because of the courage of this victim and the unwavering dedication of the investigators and prosecutors on this case.”
