Three men charged in kidnapping case

ATLANTA --- Three men appeared in federal court Monday on charges they took part in kidnapping a man who was chained in a basement for almost a week while his captors tried to collect a $300,000 drug debt.

The three made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet King. They were identified as Victor Abiles Gomez, 20; Omar Mendoza-Villegas, 19; and Gerardo Solorio Reyes, 23.

The 31-year-old victim was found beaten, bound and gagged in the unfinished basement of a Lilburn home on Friday by federal agents acting on a tip about a possible kidnapping. He was not identified by name in a news release.

According to information from the victim and one of his alleged captors, he was held for ransom for a drug debt of almost $300,000 owed to a man identified only as "Tio."

While he was held, Tio and other captors contacted his wife in Rhode Island trying to collect the ransom, prosecutors said.

The three men who appeared in court Monday tried to flee from the house when agents of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration moved in after a stakeout. Agents also found an assault rifle and flex cuffs. The kidnapping victim was held as a material witness.