NEW YORK – A New York man was convicted of a kidnapping plot that resulted in the deaths of two brothers whose bound bodies were found in a Philadelphia river eight years ago.
The Philadelphia Investigator in shape Jason Rivera, 36, shook his head as the foreman of a federal court jury who ruled for more than six hours Tuesday announced guilty verdicts on charges including conspiracy, kidnapping and racketeering.
“This is crazy,” Rivera muttered as his attorney told him to shut up as the judge dismissed the court following the verdict, which includes a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, the Inquirer said.
The Queens resident was one of six men accused of what authorities described as a conspiracy that led to the deaths of 31-year-old Vu “Kevin” Huynh, and his brother Viet, 28, in August 2014, for debt. of drugs of $ 300,000.
Authorities said the brothers were kidnapped and tortured before being taken to the Schuylkill River, stabbed repeatedly, their faces covered with duct tape and their legs loaded with concrete before being thrown into the water. A third man managed to escape and stop a passing motorist.
Defense attorney Thomas Mirigliano said his client was wrongfully accused, noting that no cell phone printout connects him to the area on the night of the crime. He opposed prosecutors pointing to a tattoo on the forearm from a line from the 1990 movie “Goodfellas” as evidence of his client’s role as a drug gang performer and debt collector.
Last year, Lam Trieu pleaded guilty to racketeering, drug, and conspiracy charges, admitting he contacted a longtime co-worker to collect a debt he owed to a California marijuana supplier for the drug delivered to him. He was not charged with the kidnapping or the murders.
Tam Minh Le, 52, originally from Vietnam, was sentenced to death in the case. Two other men await sentencing on federal charges in the case.
