A Colombian national has been sentenced to prison for participating in a plot targeting U.S. soldiers overseas, highlighting risks faced by military personnel even when off duty. Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, received a sentence of 262 months following her guilty plea to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The incident began on the evening of March 5, 2020, in Bogotá, Colombia, when two U.S. soldiers attended a soccer match and later visited a local bar. According to court documents, Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran and her accomplices drugged the soldiers' drinks with benzodiazepines. They then stole valuables, including credit and debit cards, which were later used to fund their activities. The soldiers were left incapacitated in separate locations on the streets, with justice appearing out of reach at the time.
Uribe Chiran's co-defendants, Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa and Jeffersson Arango Castellanos, have already faced their own sentences for the roles they played in this crime. Ochoa was sentenced in March 2025 to over 27 years following an extradition from Chile, while Castellanos received a weighty 48 years and nine months' imprisonment after his extradition from Colombia to the U.S., exemplifying the hard stance taken on crimes against American service members.
Officials, including U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne, stated that kidnappings and assaults against U.S. service members will not be tolerated and that perpetrators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The closure of this case reflects ongoing efforts to protect military personnel and enforce justice. Uribe Chiran was extradited from Colombia in September 2024 and, following her sentencing, will serve a prison term of two decades.
International cooperation played a significant role in this investigation, with FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles noting the joint efforts of law enforcement agencies in Colombia and Chile.
