MOORHEAD, MInn. (FOX 9) - A North Dakota man who authorities say was a known enforcer for a drug trafficking outfit has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to a ransom kidnapping in Moorhead in 2024.
Moorhead kidnapping sentencing
What we know:
The Department of Justice announced Kyle Maez-Schaack, 33, of Grand Forks, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for his role in the kidnapping in March 2024.
Maez-Schaack pleaded guilty in February to the crimes. Three co-defendants in the case are still facing a trial that is set to begin in September.
Drug debt kidnapping
The backstory:
Authorities say Maez-Schaack was the "muscle" for the drug ring and took part in the kidnapping back in 2024.
Authorities say Maez-Schaack was ordered to kidnap a man over a $6,000 of debt related to 500 grams of meth. According to prosecutors, the victim was kidnapped at gunpoint in Fargo, taken over the Minnesota state line and brought to a home in Moorhead.
There, the victim was forced to call family and friends and beg them for cash to satisfy his $6,000 debt. Authorities say the victim was never able to come up with the money.
Big picture view:
During the kidnapping, the suspects were ordered to beat the victim.
Officials say at some point during the kidnapping, Maez-Schaack and his partners left the victim alone. During that time, the victim was able to get free and get to safety.
Along with the kidnapping charges, Maez-Schaack and a couple of the other defendants also faced drug charges related to the case. Prosecutors say the ring was known to distribute meth through the Red River Valley and Devils Lake area in North Dakota.
‘Brazen, violent offender’
What they're saying:
"The drug business is a scourge that often leads to kidnappings and demands for ransoms related to drug debts," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in a provided statement. "This collateral violence threatens the safety of communities. The lengthy sentence captures the seriousness of the drug-related conduct in this case and speaks to the collateral ills of the drug trade that ruins the lives of so many Americans."
"Maez-Schaack is a brazen, violent offender who made our communities less safe, and today he receives the consequences for his actions," added Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. "ATF remains committed to identifying and targeting the most violent offenders, and we will continue to do that work every single day. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their collaboration on this case, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their successful prosecution."
"Stopping violent offenders like Kyle Maez-Schaack is one of the FBI’s top priorities," said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. "This defendant, a previously convicted felon, kidnapped a victim at gunpoint, demanded ransom of the victim’s friends and family, and trafficked methamphetamine into our community. Now, he will rightly spend the next 30 years of his life in federal prison. The entire Red River Valley and Devil’s Lake communities are safer for that fact. The FBI will not stop in our mission to make our communities safe by bringing violent criminals like Maez-Schaack and his accomplices to justice."