CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A federal indictment paints a terrifying picture of an alleged kidnapping and robbery scheme that used a Corpus Christi tire shop as its base of operations.
Prosecutors say Victor Daniel Almaguer-Cantu, along with Robert Luis Saldan and another co-conspirator whose name is redacted, used a fake Facebook Marketplace post to lure a victim, known as C.O.B., to Danny's Tire Service on Baldwin Boulevard in March.
According to the documents, the victim identified only by the initials of C.O.B., thought he was answering an ad to do work for the tire shop, but once inside, court documents say the victim was locked in an office, beaten, and threatened over video calls.
From there, the victim was driven to two ATMs across Corpus Christi and forced to withdraw thousands in cash before being taken to the Corpus Christi Trade Center and ordered to make a $10,000 jewelry purchase with his own credit card.
The indictment states the defendants stole that jewelry on the spot as part of a scheme that took the victim all over Corpus Christi.
Prosecutors say he was told to "smile and act normal" or he and his family would be killed.
Prosecutors say the defendants also used his Social Security number and other private information to apply for loans in his name.
On social media, viewers called the case something straight out of a movie script. Many say they were customers of Danny's Tire Shop and can't believe the news.
My photographer and I visited the tire shop to ask questions about the impact on business, but the crew shut us down immediately.
"We don't got nothing right now. We don't wanna do anything right now. He's busy right now," a crew member said.
When we asked to speak with a manager, we were denied.
"No manager. No, no nothing. We don't want nothing to do with it. We don't want nothing to do with media," a crew member said.
I also went to neighboring businesses in the area. None wanted to go on camera.
But one owner told me she's run her shop here for years, and always knew the tire shop owner as a friendly neighbor.
She said she's never felt unsafe in this part of town and no one suspected anything suspicious.
KRIS 6 reached out to CCPD for comment, who tells us they are not involved, as this is a case for the FBI.
Danny's Tire Service operates four locations in Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, Almaguer-Cantu appeared before a magistrate judge, prosecutors requested he be held without bail and asked for additional time to make that case. That hearing is October 3.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
