Woman held in Mexicali extortion case
Jornada Baja California reports that Idania Shiomara “N” was linked to prosecution and placed in pretrial detention over alleged extortion and death threats; the FGE said the complementary investigation has four months to conclude.
Jornada Baja California reported on September 9 that a woman identified as Idania Shiomara “N” was linked to prosecution and placed in pretrial detention in the Mexicali Valley on allegations of aggravated extortion and death threats. Jornada Baja California said the state prosecutor’s office, known as the FGE, identified her as the alleged responsible party. The report said investigators accuse her of sending intimidation messages in the early hours of March 17 to demand money in dollars, allegedly invoking a criminal group and threatening to harm the victims and set fire to their home.
According to Jornada Baja California’s account of an FGE statement, the messages were sent through Facebook Messenger and also referred to an alleged debt related to child-support obligations. The report said the victims, who live in the Mexicali Valley, made a MoneyGram payment in Idania Shiomara “N”’s name because of the fear generated by the threats. Jornada Baja California reported that the alleged harassment continued, with different social-media profiles and other communication channels allegedly used to repeat death threats if the victims did not comply.
The FGE also reported that, in the early hours of March 16, two unidentified men in a black Jeep Cherokee allegedly entered the victims’ home in the Ampliación Valle Nuevo neighborhood after breaking a chain-link fence and forcing the door. The account said the men carried a firearm and a baseball bat and allegedly injured one victim who was with her minor daughter. Jornada Baja California said the FGE did not report whether those men had been identified or arrested. A control judge granted four months to complete the complementary investigation, according to the report.