Three Northern California Men Found Guilty of the Violent Kidnapping and Robbery of Antelope Valley Businessman

LOS ANGELES – Three Sacramento men were found guilty by a jury today of the kidnapping and robbery of an Antelope Valley businessman, an attack in which the victim was beaten, his home was invaded, and he was abandoned in a desolate part of California. The following defendants were found guilty of one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and one count of Hobbs Act robbery: Jerome Franklin, Jr., 45, a.k.a. “Rome”; Andrae Hawkins, 41, a.k.a. “Plates,” and De’Andre Lamont King, 31. According to evidence presented at a seven-day trial, on October 27, 2023, the defendants traveled from Sacramento to Lancaster to kidnap the victim from the victim’s workplace. They then beat the victim, zip-tied his hands behind his back, and duct-taped his turban over his face. They demanded $100,000 or more from him, as well as gold and jewelry. They threatened to kill the victim and his family if he did not comply with their demands. While the victim was kidnapped, some of the defendants traveled to the victim’s home to invade it. After the victim’s wife noticed the home invaders on their home security system, she contacted the victim’s phone, which was in the kidnappers’ possession. The kidnappers eventually abandoned the victim in a desolate area. He later was rescued. The jury acquitted Franklin, Hawkins, and King of one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. One of the two vehicles used in the kidnapping – specifically, the one used in the home invasion – was rented by co-defendant Shanjeet Brar, 59, of Sacramento. Brar pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of kidnapping. Brar awaits sentencing. Another defendant in this case, Peter Arafiles, Jr., 31, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence. United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera scheduled November 5 sentencing hearings for the defendants, who will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler, Jena A. MacCabe, and Brandon E. Martinez-Jones of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.