Three men were convicted by a jury Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles of kidnapping, beating and robbing an Antelope Valley business owner three years ago.
Jerome Franklin Jr., 45; Andrae Hawkins, 41; and De’Andre Lamont King, 31, were each found guilty of one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and one count of Hobbs Act robbery.
Prosecutors said the victim was beaten, his home was burglarized and he was abandoned in a desolate part of California.
According to court papers, on Oct. 27, 2023, the defendants traveled from their homes in Sacramento to Lancaster to kidnap the victim from his workplace. They beat the man, zip-tied his hands and duct-taped his turban over his face, prosecutors said. They demanded $100,000 or more from him, as well as gold and jewelry. They also threatened to kill the victim if he did not comply with their demands and told him, “This is your last day,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
While the victim was kidnapped, some of the defendants traveled to the victim’s home to burglarize it, according to court papers. After the victim’s wife noticed the burglars on their home security system, she contacted her husband’s phone, which was in the kidnappers’ possession. The kidnappers eventually abandoned the victim in a desolate area, evidence showed.
The jury in Los Angeles federal court acquitted Franklin, Hawkins and King of one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
One of the two vehicles used in the kidnapping — specifically, the one used in the home invasion — was rented by co-defendant Shanjeet Brar, 59, of Sacramento. Brar pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of kidnapping. He awaits sentencing.
Another defendant in this case, Peter Arafiles Jr., 31, also of Sacramento, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence.
U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera scheduled Nov. 5 sentencing hearings for Franklin, Hawkins and King, who will each face up to life in federal prison, prosecutors said.