Five charged with kidnapping migrants in US to demand families pay ransom

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say four men have been arrested and charged with kidnapping migrants who had been smuggled into the United States and demanding their relatives pay ransom for their release. The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said Monday that the men have pleaded not guilty after they were arraigned on an indictment. Federal prosecutors say a fifth man has been charged but remains a fugitive. Prosecutors say the men were involved in kidnapping and holding hostage four migrants last year. The victims were taken from a gas station in Arizona to a restaurant in California and held hostage in a house and a motel.