Four People Charged With Kidnapping Irvine Woman for Ransom
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Four people were charged today with multiple felonies in connection with kidnapping an Irvine woman and holding her for ransom.
Ezra Schley, 71, and Yang “Rose” Wang, 37, both of Huntington Beach, Reha Soylular, 54, of Newport Beach, and George Armando Medrano, 34, of Norco, were each charged with one felony count of aggravated kidnapping for ransom and extortion, one felony count of residential burglary, and one felony count of attempted extortion.
Medrano was also charged with one felony count of a felon in possession of ammunition and one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana for sale. Schley was charged with one misdemeanor count of carrying a loaded firearm in public.
All four defendants face a minimum of seven years and a maximum sentence of life if convicted on all charges. They are currently being held at the Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.
The four defendants are accused of kidnaping Jane Doe from her Irvine apartment on August 28, 2019 in an attempt to extort a large sum of money from Jane Doe’s husband and mother-in-law. They are also accused of sending pictures of Jane Doe being held captive to Jane Doe’s husband through a phone web chatting app.
Jane Doe was previously acquainted with at least one of the defendants. Authorities believe this is an isolated incident.
Jane Doe was rescued by the Irvine Police Department after her mother-in-law called police and requested a welfare check.
“Diligent police work by the Irvine Police Department helped locate this victim before further trauma could be inflicted on her and her loved ones,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.
“I want to express my support for the victim and family as they recover from this traumatic event,” said Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel. “I also want to thank the men and women of the Irvine Police Department who worked tirelessly to protect the victim and arrest those responsible for committing a heinous crime in our community.”
This case is being prosecuted by Laila Nikaien of the Special Prosecutions Unit.