A man already facing life behind bars allegedly helped plan an elaborate kidnapping plan from his prison cell, thanks to a cell phone he wasn't supposed to have, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.
Kelvin Melton, who also goes by the names "Dizzy" and "Old Man," was charged Friday with conspiring to kidnap Frank Arthur Janssen, U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker, of North Carolina, said in a press release. Investigators believe Melton and five alleged co-conspirators kidnapped Janssen and planned to kill him as retaliation for Melton's imprisonment. And though he's in a maximum security prison in North Carolina, he allegedly managed to communicate with the five suspects and gave instructions to kill Janssen, according to a criminal complaint Walker's office released.
"Melton used a cell phone that he illegally possessed while serving a life sentence in the Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, to transmit instructions and threats to Mr. Janssen's wife and to co-conspirators in the plot," Walker said. "Specifically, Melton gave instructions on how to kill Mr. Janssen and dispose of his body."
The additional charge for Melton came one day after five conspirators appeared in federal court in Atlanta on charges connected to Janssen's kidnapping. Melton exchanged at least 123 calls and text messages with the alleged kidnappers during the past week, according to the FBI.
Investigators working the case from dozens of law enforcement agencies, have said that Janssen was targeted because his daughter is the assistant district attorney who prosecuted Melton. Saturday morning, Janssen was assaulted at his home, forced into a vehicle, and driven to Atlanta, where he was held hostage, the FBI said.
Over the next five days, the suspects allegedly sent a series of text messages from different phones to Janssen's wife making demands, stating that he and other family members would be killed if those demands weren't met, federal court documents show. It was those cell phone messages that led investigators to their suspects, according to the FBI.
Janssen received medical treatment and was with his family late Thursday, but his exact location was not released. His family has asked for privacy.
The five suspects arrested are Jenna Paulin Martin, 21; Tiana Maynard, also known as Tiana Brooks, 30; Jevante Price, 20; Michael Montreal Gooden, 21; and Clifton James Roberts, 29. All five are believed to have ties to the Atlanta area and at least one has a prior criminal record.
Melton was convicted in October 2012 as a violent habitual felon, according to the North Carolina Department of Corrections. Since July 2013, he has had six infractions in prison, including lock tampering on April 1 and weapon possession in February, records show.
According to testimony from his 2012 trial, Melton is a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang from New York City who ordered a 19-year-old subordinate to travel to Raleigh and kill his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
Melton has a long record of felony convictions in New York, including a 1979 robbery committed when he was 14, according to The Associated Press.He pleaded guilty of manslaughter and robbery in 1998 and served more than 13 years in New York prisons before being released in August 2011 and moving to North Carolina.
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