Biotechnology

Md. Man Abducts Victim, Forces Him to Make Multiple Withdrawals, Down Hennessy

Federal prosecutors say three men beat a man, forced him to drink a bottle of liquor and locked him in a trunk, while driving the victim to multiple ATMs and making him withdraw cash.

Ethan Moye-Gordon, 22, of Maryland pleaded guilty and faces up to life in prison. 

According to prosecutors, Moye-Gordon worked with two other men to kidnap their victim near Logan Circle the night of Nov. 10, 2018. The three men forced their victim at gunpoint to make withdrawals from ATMs across Washington and Maryland.

At one point, the victim tried to escape the trunk, but he was caught by Moye-Gordon and the others and beaten in the face and upper body.

During the abduction, investigators say the attackers forced their victim to drink most of a bottle of Hennessy, which caused him to fall asleep.

The victim, a scientist in a small biotechnology firm, woke up in Savannah Terrace in Southeast Washington. He was transported to The George Washington University Hospital, where he was treated for injuries to the mouth, face and arm.

The crime was one in a series of "jugging" crimes of which Moye-Gordon has been accused. Jugging is a crime in which attackers target people who are heading back to their cars after using an ATM or bank.

Prosecutors said they were alarmed by the rise of jugging crimes across the nation, noting their commonality in places like Oklahoma and Texas

Moye-Gordon bragged that he was a "Jugg King" on social media, according to prosecutors.

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