WASHINGTON — A man accused of abducting a Georgetown University student last month and driving him to multiple ATMs and stores in an attempt to get cash was arrested in Seattle by the FBI last week.
Federal authorities arrested Paolo Aldorasi, 34, of London, on Feb. 24, the U.S. attorney’s office for D.C. confirmed to WTOP. Aldorasi is facing a kidnapping charge.
Aldorasi made his first court appearance Monday in federal court in Washington state where he was ordered held until a March 2 hearing, Bill Miller, the U.S. attorney’s office spokesman, told WTOP in an email.
The student, described by authorities in charging documents as a Korean student who spoke limited English, told police he was walking in the 3400 block of O Street Northwest near the Georgetown campus on Jan. 26 when a man in an SUV, later identified as Aldorasi, approached him and asked for directions to Dulles International Airport.
The man then grabbed him by the wrist and led him into the vehicle where he asked for $2,800, according to charging documents.
The student told police he feared Aldorasi and when he tried to answer a call from his father, Aldorasi told him, “Don’t call your mom or dad,” the charging documents stated.
Authorities said Aldorasi drove the student to four different banks near Georgetown where attempts to withdraw money from ATMs were unsuccessful. Aldorasi then drove the student to a jewelry store in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he tried to buy a $6,678 bracelet, and a Best Buy near Tenleytown, where he tried to buy an $845 iPhone 7 plus. The student’s debit card was declined during both attempted purchases.
The student said Aldorasi released him after about two hours. Authorities said the student was not harmed.
According to charging documents, police were able to identify Aldorasi’s vehicle and its license plate number using surveillance camera photos. Police said they checked records and discovered the vehicle had been rented to Aldorasi.
Police said they obtained photos of Aldorasi though law enforcement databases and also discovered public social media accounts that were believed to be linked to Aldorasi. One of the videos posted to one of his social media accounts appeared to show Aldorasi driving around the D.C. area in a Chevy, police said.
