38-09 43rd Avenue
Feb. 2, 2017 By Christian Murray
Two men have been sentenced to 13 ½ years in prison for abducting a Woodside resident and holding him hostage in a Sunnyside/LIC warehouse for more than a month in 2013.
District Attorney Richard Brown announced today that Christian Acuna, 38, of Corona, and Dennis Alves, 36, from East Elmhurst, both pleaded guilty to first degree kidnapping. They, along with Eduardo Moncayo, who was sentence to 25 years to life, kidnapped the victim and demanded his mother in Ecuador pay a $3 million ransom.
“This was a horrifying ordeal for the victim, who was forcibly abducted from the streets of Queens County and held against his will in a vacant warehouse for 32 days,” Brown said in a statement. “Throughout those terrifying days, the victim’s fingers were burned with acid and had a tooth knocked out. Even after being rescued, the victim was deeply traumatized by this experience. Under the circumstances, the sentence imposed by the Court was more than warranted.”
According to testimony from the trial, the victim, 52-year-old Pedro Portugal, was approached outside of 88-06 Roosevelt Avenue on April 18, 2013 and Moncayo called out to him by name.
Moncayo then displayed what appeared to be a police badge, and then along with Alves and Acuna grabbed him and forced him in to a nearby SUV.
Once inside the vehicle, Moncayo allegedly punched Portugal in the face and body and put a mask over his face so he could not see anything.
The victim was then driven to a warehouse at 38-09 43rd Avenue and was tied to a chair and beaten. He was then instructed to call his mother in Ecuador and request $3 million in ransom.
Brown said that the victim was held hostage from April 18 until May 20 in 2013, and during that time his hand was burned with acid, and the kidnappers threatened to cut off his fingers and kill him. Portugal also had his tooth knocked out from a punch and suffered bruising, swelling and pain.
Portugal was rescued by the NYPD Major Case Squad on May 20, 2013, when they entered the building and found his hands bound with cloth and duct tape.
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Yes put mac to bed
18 not 16, and countless others
Worst re-enactment of Reservoir Dogs
Too bad it wasnt mac they abducted
Such a flippant way of wishing harm on someone because you disagree with them. You’d like mac kidnapped, his “fingers…burned with acid and…a tooth knocked out.” And you’d like his family terrorized by a phone call demanding money. Anything else?
So 16 more people would like to see mac suffer such a fate? You agree with Anonymous? What’s your reasoning?
The victims family is worth that much and hes hanging out on Roosevelt and 88 ?? He must have been involved with something bad. Im sorry only crap hangs out there.
It’s a shopping district for the local community. There is a bakery there. You’re an idiot.
-Me NYPD does not “put people away” the DA’s office does the prosecuting and judges pass down sentence. Why would anyone take a plea deal if the case against was weak? Sounds like the case against was solid..
When were they caught? or did it take NYPD 4 years to put them away? Unbelievable. What’s worse is, it sounds like they didn’t even have a strong case, the thugs plead guilty.
Thank God those people have been put away. They deserve more if you ask me. That man will never be the same again.