Federal Way, Washington, man who committed kidnapping as revenge for a drug-deal-gone-wrong, sentenced to 8 years in prison
One victim was beaten; both were forced to walk across southern border and were returned to home country of Guatemala
Seattle / Wednesday, January 14, 2026 – A 25-year-old Federal Way, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to eight years in prison for using a firearm in a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Daniel Lopez was indicted by the grand jury on November 6, 2024, for the October 13, 2024, kidnapping of the spouse of someone who had cheated him in a drug deal. The Auburn, Washington woman was abducted at gunpoint from her home and ultimately was found safe in Guatemala. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, the sentence was merited because of “the defendant’s use of a firearm in a violent kidnapping . . . and the violent nature of the charged conduct.”
“This defendant has a lengthy and serious criminal history with many of the offenses involving firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Mr. Lopez has been involved in street gangs since his mid-teens and has committed several violent offenses including robbery, drive-by shooting and illegal possession of guns and drugs. This 8-year prison sentence is focused on protecting the community.”
“After losing money in a fraudulent drug deal, Lopez retaliated by violently kidnapping a person involved in the scheme, along with an innocent victim, at gunpoint,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “He held the victims against their will, directed co-conspirators to force them across the Mexico border, and fled to Texas where he was apprehended by FBI Houston. FBI Seattle is grateful to our partners in the Auburn Police Department and our FBI colleagues in Texas for their commitment to combatting violent crime alongside us, no matter how far the subject attempts to flee justice.”
According to records filed in the case, the kidnapping was retribution for a drug deal gone bad. The woman’s husband and a second victim who was also kidnapped, had taken $2500 from Lopez for cocaine, but the cocaine was never delivered. The female victim’s husband reported her missing on October 14, 2024, after arriving home and finding her belongings at their apartment. Two witnesses reported seeing the woman leaving with two men, one of whom was carrying a firearm. This man was subsequently identified as Lopez. Lopez was initially identified based on surveillance video from across the street showing vehicles in the apartment complex parking lot. Officers then reviewed traffic camera pictures to obtain license plate information and ultimately determined Lopez was a registered owner of one of the vehicles.
The investigation revealed that the victims were held in the Seattle area for two days before being transported to the southern border with Mexico. Lopez had associates drive the woman and the other victim to the border and forced them to walk across. The two were identified by immigration authorities in Mexico and were transported to Guatemala. Neither had legal status in the U.S., and so have been barred from returning to their lives in the U.S.
Lopez was ultimately traced to Houston, Texas and was arrested on October 19, 2024, at a hotel. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
The case was investigated by the Auburn Police Department and the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
Contact
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Communications Director Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington
