A 24-year-old woman is the third person charged in connection with a Rochester kidnapping in which a group of masked attackers beat a man, pistol-whipped him and robbed him.
Keji Loro Jubek, of Rochester, now faces a bribery charge after prosecutors say she was recruited to pressure the victim into recanting his statement to police.
The attack happened Thursday, Feb. 5 at a Rochester home, court documents say.
Jubek is charged in Olmsted County with aiding and abetting kidnapping, aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery, aiding and abetting second-degree assault and bribery of a witness.
The victim told investigators he had been serving as a middleman for Crestopher Komakic Joseph Lon Ogak, 26, buying oxycodone on Ogak’s behalf. Around 7 p.m. on Feb. 5, Ogak gave the victim about $1,500 to purchase oxycodone, according to the complaint. The victim could not obtain the drugs and arranged to meet Ogak at a Rochester gas station to return the money.
READ MORE > Rochester coverage
When the victim arrived at the gas station, Ogak pulled up in a black sedan with Jubek in the front passenger seat. Ogak told the victim to get in and drove away erratically, ignoring the victim’s concern about leaving his own vehicle behind. Ogak drove to his mother’s house, where five to seven people wearing masks were waiting in the driveway.
As soon as the car arrived, one of the group began punching the victim. The group pulled the victim out of the car and beat him in the driveway. When the victim fell to the ground, Ogak told the others to “keep hitting” the victim.
They then allegedly dragged the victim inside. Two people held his arms while others continued to beat him. The suspects pistol-whipped the victim, stole his smartwatch and hat and took back the $1,500. Ogak and his associates threatened to kill the victim and told him they would break his teeth and his finger. The victim’s phone was taken and someone transferred $150 from his Cash App to Jubek’s account.
Ogak eventually arranged an Uber to take the victim back to the gas station. The victim drove himself to Olmsted Medical Center, where officers found him with facial swelling, visible injuries and bloodstained clothing. He was hesitant to speak with police and expressed fear for his life.
> Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter
A search warrant executed at Ogak’s residence turned up suspected blood evidence in the living room where the beating occurred and K-57 oxycodone pills.
After Ogak was taken into custody and held at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, investigators say he directed associates, including Jubek, to contact the victim and convince him to recant his account of the kidnapping, assault and robbery. Evidence includes text messages and phone calls made by Ogak from the detention center. Jubek also admitted to taking the victim’s phone and withdrawing $150 from his account through the cash app, according to the complaint.
Ogak was previously charged with aiding and abetting kidnapping, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and terroristic threats. A second defendant, Amnabear Omot Nyigwo, 27, of Mankato, is also charged with bribery in a separate complaint filed in Olmsted County.
Aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
