A 23-year-old man is behind bars after he faked his own kidnapping for drug money.
Shawn Ray Lujan was arrested on Feb. 20 and was charged with attempted theft by deception as a second degree felony and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third degree felony.
According to court documents, Lujan created a scheme to steal money from his brother and girlfriend by faking his kidnapping and creating a fictitious character, "Reaper," who was supposedly holding him for ransom.
Lujan was alleged to have sent his brother text messages, pretending he was Reaper, and that Lujan owed Reaper $5,000, but the amount varied between $600 and $5,000.
While Lujan's brother was being interviewed by a police officer, he received another text message from Reaper arranging to meet at the Mobil Gas Station on Y-sengsong road in Dededo, court documents state. A phone call was also made wherein Lujan allegedly told his brother that a gun was being held to his head.
The Guam Police Department's SIS went to Mobil to intercept the trade; but according to court documents, no one arrived. Police officers later observed Lujan's vehicle, a Nissan Quest, near the Santa Barbara Church.
When officers stopped the vehicle, they found Lujan and another individual, Josh Blaz, inside.
Lujan later confessed that he had fictitiously created the Reaper character and made up the whole extortion story so his brother would give him cash. He indicated he did this because he owed his uncle $500 in drug money, court documents state.
Officers found a toy gun and an “improvised smoking apparatus” with white crystalline residue of suspected methamphetamine inside the vehicle.
Lujan's girlfriend was identified as another victim in the case. She told officers that her boyfriend had been missing since January.
Man fakes his own kidnapping
- Thursday, 23 Feb 2012 05:00am
- BY JANELA BUHAIN CARRERA | VARIETY NEWS STAFF
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