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Press Release

Anchorage Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Kidnapping

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage woman was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred to 20 years in prison for kidnapping an 18-year-old victim.

According to court documents, Nellie Sherry Serradell, 28, attempted to stop multiple vehicles as she walked in and out of traffic on Dimond Boulevard in the early morning hours of November 17, 2019. The 18-year-old-victim was driving to work at 5:48 a.m. when Serradell ran in front of her vehicle at Dimond and C Street. The victim agreed to give Serradell a ride to her workplace. When they arrived in the parking lot, Serradell grabbed the victim and told her she had a gun and that she needed to keep driving. After punching the victim in the face several times, Serradell directed her to drive to a trailer park on Muldoon Road where she sexually assaulted the victim. In an effort to get Serradell to stop, the victim offered to give her money and Serradell agreed they could drive to an ATM machine. As they drove, Serradell fell asleep and the victim pulled into a gas station on 15th Ave., quietly got out of the car, went inside and called 911. Serradell woke up, saw the victim in the gas station, and drove off in the victim’s car. Serradell was arrested the next day in a nearby motel, wearing the victim’s brown Bearpaw boots. Investigators recovered the victim’s car abandoned on Boniface Parkway and found Serradell’s DNA in two places inside the passenger compartment. She pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charge on July 25, 2022.

“The victim was trying to be a good Samaritan, helping someone who was flagging down cars in the street,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The defendant took advantage of the victim’s kind nature by kidnapping and assaulting her. When individuals such as the defendant threaten the safety our community, they will be met with certain justice.”

The FBI and the Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schroeder prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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Updated December 14, 2022

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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