Prosecutors are calling this a disturbing case, and they say the victims fortunately survived several hours of pain and torture.
It was in a northwest side warehouse where investigators say a couple of men were tortured in a back room, allegedly at the hands of a group of men who are now facing serious criminal charges.
Assistant District Attorney Celeste Byrom said, "They found themselves being bound with zip ties. They were hidden in the back of the warehouse. They found themselves being threatened by the defendants pulling guns on them."
Investigators say the two men showed up to the shop on Christmas Eve to conduct a business transaction with Nathan Ray Foreman. Prosecutors say within minutes, things went terribly wrong.
"At some point in time, defendant Foreman took gasoline, poured it on the complaining witnesses and threatened to set them on fire with a lighter," Byrom said.
Investigators say the men were also kicked, beaten, shot and later tossed from a moving van along Northwest Freeway. They say Jason Washington, who was a federal customs agent at the time, was also present when the alleged torture was taking place.
Byrom said, "Washington told the complainants not to look at him. He demanded to know where the additional money was, and he looked through the complainants' GPS to try and find out where the complainants were staying."
We spoke with defense attorney Paul Doyle. He represents Washington, who has since resigned from his federal law enforcement position.
"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time," Doyle said. "His car was at that shop. He showed up to check out his car and saw what happened. If he made a mistake, it was by not calling the police." Some of the accused men are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
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