DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to kidnapping a plastic surgeon who was tortured with a blowtorch in an extortion attempt.
Justin Boccio, 34, of Deerfield Beach, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the January attack on the surgeon, who hasn't been publicly identified.
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Boccio's attorney, Kenneth Lange, said his client was convinced to take part in the scheme by co-defendant, Serge Nkorina, who's being extradited from Tenerife, Spain.
According to court records, Boccio and Nkorina, along with others, plotted to kidnap and torture the surgeon in an attempt to obtain tens of thousands of dollars from him.
Court records show that Boccio went the surgeon's office on Jan. 14 and made false representations on paperwork. Later that same day, Nkorina and Boccio intercepted the surgeon in a Walmart parking lot in Broward County.
Nkorina and Boccio blindfolded the surgeon and forced him into the rental van. The kidnappers then transported the man to a storage facility in Margate, where they burned his hands with a blowtorch while threatening to kill him with a firearm and other weapons, documents show.
Investigators said the kidnappers got information out of the surgeon about his home address and Nkorina went there on Jan. 15 carrying a gun.
According to court records, the surgeon was tortured for hours before being returned to his car while unconscious later the same day Nkorina went to his home.
Investigators said Nkorina and Boccio left the man with his hands and feet bound in his car, which they parked at the Cheetah Gentlemen’s Club in Broward County.
Surveillance video supports the chain of events. Investigators said Nkorina's wife was a client of the surgeon.
Boccio will be sentenced in December. He faces a maximum of life in prison.