(TNS) — A Lancaster County man has been sentenced to six to 23 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to faking his own Mafia kidnapping in an attempt to steal over $125,000 in ransom, according to the county district attorney’s office.
Joshua B. Fernando, 27, of Salisbury Township, entered a guilty plea to one felony count of theft by deception on Feb. 10, the DA’s office said.
Fernando told the victims, who were not named in the release, he traveled to Europe in May 2024 for a business trip. While overseas, Fernando said he was taken prisoner by the Mafia after he was involved in a car crash with an “expensive, bullet-proof vehicle” owned by a United Kingdom Mafia boss, a press release said.
Fernando also said the Mafia would kill him unless a large ransom was paid, according to the DA’s office.
The ruse continued to escalate when Fernando used a VPN to spoof his location and sent pictures of his bruised and swollen face to the victims, the press release said.
Additionally, Fernando sent videos of him being assaulted and abused by his supposed captors, including one video where he was on his knees while a masked man stood behind him with a gun to his head, the DA’s office said.
As a result of the fake kidnapping, the victims sent Fernando a total of $126,500.
However, Fernando’s repeated requests for more money created suspicion around the situation, leading the victims to contact police in London and the United States Embassy in the United Kingdom.
After being “released” by his captors, Fernando said he took a flight to the United States, where he was threatened again by the Mafia, the press release said.
The victims then reported the threats to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which confirmed the kidnapping was a scam, the DA’s office said. Pennsylvania State Police were also notified of the supposed threats.
Investigators eventually found Fernando in Lancaster County attempting to withdraw $130,000 from his bank account, the DA’s office said.
A search of his phone revealed multiple conversations between Fernando and the alleged captor where they spoke about how to make the ransom videos look more realistic.
Fernando also told police he fabricated the kidnapping in order to steal money from the victims, according to the DA’s office.
Pennsylvania State Police filed the charges against Fernando. Following his six to 23 month prison sentence, Fernando was also ordered to serve two years of probation.
