Federal court documents filed following the arrest of a Plattsburgh man for his alleged role in the armed kidnapping of a Moira couple reveal the couple were held hostage in exchange for either 50 kilograms of cocaine or $3.5 million.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Plattsburgh, in the case of Graigory Brown, 50, the alleged kidnappers believed an unidentified child of James and Sandra Helm had knowledge of the cocaine’s location and were holding the couple until the child either aided in the return of the drugs, paid the cash ransom or gave the kidnappers information about others with alleged knowledge of the cocaine.
In actuality, unbeknownst to the alleged kidnappers, the cocaine had already been seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mr. Brown, of Plattsburgh, was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, along with four others who were arrested in Quebec, where the Helms were located Tuesday.
According to the complaint, on Sunday Mr. Brown and his coconspirators forcibly entered the Helms’ Franklin County home and kidnapped them. The victims were driven to Snye, Quebec, where they were put in a boat, taken to mainland Canada and then taken to Quebec’s eastern townships, where they were held for several days.
While the victims were in Canada, Mr. Brown’s coconspirators communicated ransom demands to one of the victims’ children. Officers from the Surete du Quebec rescued the victims from a house in Magog, Quebec, on Tuesday.
The complaint states that at about 6:20 a.m., state police were called to the Helms’ residence for a report of burglary and to check on the couple’s welfare. Troopers interviewed the Helms’ child, who said his father, the town of Moira’s highway superintendent, had not arrived at work that morning, which was unusual. The house was also in a state of disarray.
An emergency geolocation of Mr. Helm’s cell phone showed it was near the intersection of Routes 37 and 95 in the town of Bombay at 10:54 Sunday and then was about 23 miles north of a cell phone tower in North Bangor at 1:03 a.m., which would have put the phone’s location in Snye, Quebec, on the Canadian side of the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. Federal agents again tried to “ping” Mr. Helm’s phone, but could not because it was located outside the United States.
At about 9:30 a.m. Monday, the Helms’ child received a call from one of the alleged coconspirators who stated he had the Helms and an unidentified person “owes them,” or in the alternative they “wanted” the unidentified person. The coconspirator said “he didn’t want” the Helms, but they wanted the unidentified person because the person “has our stuff.”
At about 12:11 p.m. Monday, the coconspirator called again and told the child the parents “were well.” He told the child to bring him either the unidentified person or a second unidentified person “and it’s done tonight.” Subsequent calls from the coconspirator delivered similar messages, according to the complaint.
Federal agents were able to receive a “proof of life” photo of the Helms showing them seated in a chair with trees in the background. At 8:43 p.m. Monday, the child receive a text message stating, “Parents are sleeping. 12PM tomorrow for trade for (the first unidentified person.)”
Agents were able to track the phone that sent the text message to a residence in Snye. On Tuesday, Canadian law enforcement surrounded the house and a second alleged co-conspirator came out of the house with a phone in his hand, which he then threw in the bushes.
“I’m just the messenger. I know the elderly couple is in Montreal,” he allegedly said, according to the complaint.
Law enforcement was able to identify two additional phone numbers allegedly involved in the kidnapping and, through emergency geolocation, were able to determine the phones were together at a residence in the eastern townships of Quebec.
Surete du Quebec officers were then able to observe the same type of chair at the residence that was seen in the “proof of life” photograph and there were trees nearby, consistent with the trees in the photo. Officers entered the residence and arrested three additional coconspirators.
Mrs. Helm told agents that four people had abducted her and Mr. Helm from their home on Sunday. Two people had forcibly entered the home, while two others remained in a vehicle outside. At some point, hoods or pillowcases were placed over the Helms’ head and they were taken by vehicle to the St. Lawrence River. They were then put on a boat and taken to the residence from which they were rescued.
During the course of witness interviews Monday, agents learned Mr. Brown had allegedly said he knew where the Helms were. The next day, under exigent circumstances, the FBI was able to obtain a call record for Mr. Brown’s phone for the previous seven days and determined his phone had been in the same areas as Mr. Helm’s.
Law enforcement located Mr. Brown on Tuesday in Fort Covington, but he “successfully evaded law enforcement surveillance.” Officers were able to find his cell phone on the shoulder of Foy Elder Road in Fort Covington.
While a state trooper was interviewing a second witness, the witness said Mr. Brown had left his pickup truck parked in the witness’ yard. According to the complaint, the pickup truck was similar to one that was captured on a video near the Helms’ residence the night they were abducted.
Also, a screwdriver was found in the truck “that appears consistent with the item used to gain access to the victims’ home,” the complaint states. On Thursday, Mr. Brown was taken into custody and allegedly told police he and his coconspirators originally planned to kidnap the first unidentified person, “but determined they could not successfully do so.”
Mr. Brown allegedly told his coconspirators that he knew where the Helms lived and that he drove himself and three others to their residence “whereupon they kidnapped the victims.” He stated the group was armed with two firearms during the kidnapping.
Mr. Brown was arraigned Friday in federal court and ordered held pending a detention hearing Tuesday. The charge against him carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The four coconspirators arrested Wednesday appeared in provincial court in Quebec on Thursday, and were held over for a bail hearing on Tuesday. The four were identified by the provincial prosecutor’s office as Franco D’Onofrio, 55, and George Dritsas, 75, of Magog; Kosnas Dritsas, 49, of Ville Mont-Royal; and Taylor Lawrence Martin, 36, of Akwesasne.
The four each face charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement, extortion and conspiracy. A fifth person arrested with them, who has not been publicly identified, was released. A sixth person, a 54-year-old man from Hinchinbrooke, was arrested by a Surete du Quebec SWAT team as he drove along chemin des Outardes in Hinchinbrooke late Thursday night, Stefane Trembley of the SQ said Friday. He was scheduled to appear in provincial court Friday. No details of the arrest were available Friday night.
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