Defendant Accused of Kidnapping and Torture Extradited to U.S. to Face Federal Charges in Miami

Miami, Fl. -- Sergei Nkorina, a 55-year-old American citizen indicted in the Southern District of Florida on kidnapping charges, arrived in Miami last night on a flight from Spain pursuant to a request from the U.S. government to extradite the fugitive.  

According to an indictment returned by a South Florida grand jury, on January 14, 2019, Nkorina and his co-defendant, Justin Boccio, abducted their victim from a Walmart parking lot in Broward County, Florida, by grabbing the victim, blindfolding him, and forcing him into a van.  It is alleged that Nkorina and Boccio drove the victim to a storage facility where they blowtorched the victim’s hands and threatened to kill him with a firearm and other weapons. Nkorina and his co-defendant demanded the address and entry code to the victim’s home, which the conspirators later visited while armed, says the indictment. According to other court documents, on January 15, 2019, local law enforcement officers found the victim, with his hands and feet bound, hands burned, and lacerations on his face, inside a car parked at a Broward County gentlemen’s club.

Nkorina was classified as a fugitive on May 24, 2019. Nkorina was arrested in Spain for purposes of extradition based on a request from the United States in accordance with the U.S.-Spain Extradition Treaty.  He arrived in Miami last night.  

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.

Boccio, Nkorina’s co-defendant, pled guilty to the kidnapping charges on September 26, 2019.  On December 5, 2019, United States District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Boccio to more than 11 years in prison.

An indictment is merely an accusation and Nkorina is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law. Nkorina made his initial appearance today in federal court.  A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., in federal magistrate court in Miami.   

FBI Miami investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Demanovich and Lisa H. Miller, former South Florida Assistant U.S. Attorney, now Chief of the Market Integrity & Major Frauds Unit, within the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan extends her gratitude to the FBI Miami Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force and the Hallandale Beach Police Department for their work, to the government of Spain for making the extradition possible, and to the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs who provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition. The U.S. Attorney also extends her gratitude to the Spanish Civil Guard and Interpol for their assistance in capturing this fugitive and in bringing him back to the United States. 

You may find related court documents on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 19-cr-20261.

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