Four men were arrested and charged with kidnapping migrants who had been smuggled into the United States and demanding their relatives pay ransom for their release, officials said Monday.

The men have pleaded not guilty after they were arraigned on an indictment, the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said. A fifth man has been charged in the case but remains a fugitive, prosecutors said in a statement.

The defendants took the four migrants from an Arizona gas station last year and later held them hostage at a house in California, prosecutors said. The suspects allegedly used one of the hostage’s cellphones to demand ransom money from the victim’s family member in exchange for their release. 

Three of the hostages were later moved to a motel where one escaped through a second-story bathroom window and ran to a nearby store, the statement said. One of the suspects followed him and “body-slammed the victim, placed him in a chokehold, and punched him repeatedly in the face in an attempt to re-kidnap him,” the statement said.

The defendants were identified as Miguel Angel Avila, 22, of Hemet; Omar Avila Salmeron, 41, of South Los Angeles; Jose Jaime Garcia, 20, of San Jacinto; Gabriel Michel Becerra, 22, of Palmdale; and Jose Alfredo Moreno Gonzalez, 21, of Oak Hills. Becerra is currently a fugitive.

“These defendants allegedly preyed upon victims who sought to emigrate to our country by demanding ransom from the victims’ families in exchange for their release,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada of the Central District of California said in a statement.

On March 23, 2023, Avila, Garcia and Becerra allegedly drove one of the hostages to a gas station, where they took $11,000 in cash from the victim’s brother in exchange for the victim’s release.

Migrants seeking to cross into the United States are frequently kidnapped by gangs and drug cartels in Mexico, and are also known to be vulnerable to kidnappings in the United States.

A California state senator has been accused of sexually harassing a staffer by pressuring him to perform sex acts – including to the point of injury – and firing him when he resisted.

Marie Alvarado-Gil’s former chief of staff Chad Condit accused both the senator and the California State Senate of discrimination in violation of employment law in a Sacramento Superior Court suit filed last week.

In the 39-page complaint – seen by Sky News – Mr Condit alleges Ms Alvarado-Gil groomed him and throughout his employment he was asked to perform sexual favours.

On the last occasion, where he alleges he was pressured to perform a sex act on the senator in the back of a car, Mr Condit claims he suffered three herniated discs in his back and a collapsed hip, which he said required surgery.

Speaking to POLITICO, Ognian Gavrilov, representing Ms Alvarado- Gil, said the accusations are “without any corroboration of evidence”.

He said: “This is an outlandish lawsuit and we’re going to fight it and we’re going to win it.”

According to the complaint, Mr Condit met Ms Alvarado-Gil in 2022 after he failed to win a primary election for the California assembly. She was elected as state senator that year and proceeded to bring Mr Condit on as her chief of staff.

He then alleges the senator began “grooming” him with intimate details of her personal life, and claimed Ms Alvarado-Gil told him she believed he would be more like his father, Gary Condit, a former Democratic Californian representative who had admitted to police he had affairs with multiple younger women. One of them, intern Chandra Levy, disappeared in 2001. Her decomposed body was found a year later, although Condit was cleared of any involvement.

In his complaint, Chad Condit alleged Ms Alvarado-Gil would also have him carry out personal errands such as driving her children and caring for her dog by January last year.

It reads: “This growing control and exercise of power by [Ms Alvarado-Gil] further conditioned [Mr Condit] into an unequal and subservient position.”

He then alleges that “after months of creating a dominant-submissive relationship” – including Ms Alvarado-Gil hiring his wife to her campaign in March 2023 – the state senator initiated sexual advances during a trip to Inyo County.

“[Mr Condit] was numbed and acted without thinking and it went from there with [Ms Alvarado-Gil] establishing her ability to dominate him,” the suit reads.

“[Mr Condit] briefly performed as demanded until she was satisfied by his submission to her.”

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When the former staffer began pushing back against the senator’s advances, Mr Condit alleged Ms Alvarado-Gil was “unhappy with him” but continued to make inappropriate comments to him.

He then claims Ms Alvarado-Gil retaliated to his refusal to participate in sexual acts by prompting the state Senate’s human resources representative to reprimand him, as well as allegedly going to his home to accuse him of cheating in front of his wife.

Mr Condit also claimed Vanessa Bravo, Ms Alvarado-Gil’s current chief of staff and a childhood friend, “proved herself tolerant and supportive” of her discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

He alleged he was given a notice of termination from the state senate in December, and said his “employment record and opportunities in public employment are irreparably damaged and will never be the same”.

Mr Condit is seeking compensation over the allegations, including lost wages, loss of earning capacity, employee benefits and damages for emotional distress.

A pipe-wielding Tesla driver convicted of attacking other motorists on Southern California roads was released from prison last month after only serving less than a year of a five-year term, a move that outraged his victims. 

Nathaniel Radimak, 37, was sentenced in September 2023 following a spree of violent attacks. He pleaded guilty to assault, vandalism, elder abuse and making criminal threats. 

Radimak was known for driving a Tesla and using a pipe to attack the cars of his victims, mostly women.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told Fox News Digital that Radimak was granted 424 days credit for time served while he was awaiting his sentence. He was also eligible for opportunities to earn credit for good behavior while he was incarcerated. 

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“Radimak was released to parole supervision in Los Angeles County on Aug. 28, 2024, after serving his full sentence as defined by law,” a CDCR statement said. 

Many of Radimak’s victims were outraged at his release. Some said they weren’t consulted about the release or given a chance to contest the decision. They said the justice system failed by not giving them a chance to be heard. 

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“I’m unable to believe such a short sentence would result in any sort of behavioral reform or rehabilitation considering the length of time he’s been committing crimes,” one unidentified victim said during a virtual news conference alongside attorney Gloria Allred.

“I am worried he will try to find the victims whose names have been released,” said another. “He is a menace to society, and I strongly disagree about his early release.”

Some said they were afraid that Radimak would possibly retaliate against them. 

“His early release has shocked and disappointed many of the victims whom I represent,” Allred said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital that it does not determine when an inmate is released. 

Nathaniel Walter Radimak was arrested Sunday for his alleged involvement in a road rage incident. (California Highway Patrol)

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“Our thoughts are with the survivors who endured the terrifying attacks by Mr. Radimak and are continuing to heal from his senseless actions,” the DA’s office said. “The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office does not determine when an inmate will be released from custody. This, as well as the notification of victims, is the responsibility of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.”