Kidnapping Victim Rescued by FBI Reunited with Family
| FBI Charlotte April 10, 2014 |
The FBI investigation into the kidnapping of Frank Janssen continues to be a very active case. According to public federal documentation, Janssen was targeted by a group as part of an elaborate kidnapping plot. Specific demands were sent to Janssen’s family for the benefit of Kelvin Melton, an inmate at the Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina. Melton was previously prosecuted by Frank Janssen’s daughter, who is an assistant district attorney in Wake County, North Carolina. Melton was convicted and is currently serving a state sentence of life without parole. The following five people were arrested and face federal kidnapping charges:
- Jenna Paulin Martin, 21
- Tiana Maynard, aka “Tiana Brooks,” 30
- Jevante Price, aka “Flame,” 20
- Michael Montreal Gooden, aka “Hot,” 21
- Clifton James Roberts, 29
FBI agents working in Raleigh were in constant contact with FBI agents and other law enforcement personnel in Atlanta. When the circumstances and time to move in were determined appropriate, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team rescued Janssen at approximately 11:55 p.m. on April 9, 2014, at a residence inside the Forest Cove apartment complex in Southeast Atlanta. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team is a highly trained group of special agents who are often called upon for an extraordinary hostage crisis or other law enforcement situation that may occur within the United States. The cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and across state lines was nothing short of incredible. Many agents, officers, analysts, and other support employees have worked countless hours to bring Janssen home safely to his family. Both Janssen and his family have remained strong and focused throughout this ordeal. They ask for privacy at this time. Janssen is currently receiving medical care.
A number of law enforcement agencies played a role in assisting FBI Charlotte in this incredible recovery mission: FBI Atlanta, Wake Forest Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Garner Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, RDU Police, North Carolina Department of Public Safety Probation and Parole, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, City/County Bureau of Identification, Cobb County Police Department, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of North Carolina, Wake County District Attorney’s Office, and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. The FBI simply could not have accomplished an operation of this magnitude without the coordination of those important partners and several others who aided us in this very successful mission.