A Florida man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a plastic surgeon who was tortured with a blowtorch in an extortion attempt.
The Sun Sentinel reports 34-year-old Justin Boccio pleaded guilty Thursday to kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the January attack on the surgeon, who hasn't been publicly identified.
Boccio's attorney, Kenneth Lange, said his client was convinced to take part in the scheme by co-defendant, Serge Nkorina, who's being extradited from Tenerife, Spain.
Court documents say the surgeon was leaving a Walmart store when he was confronted by an armed man and shoved into a van. They say he was tortured for hours before being returned to his car while unconscious. Surveillance video supports the chain of events. Investigators say Nkorina's wife was a client of the surgeon.
