Court documents, prosecutors say Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin was victim in ransom plot

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Texas Rangers\' Leonys Martin dives for a ball Sept. 30, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Tony Gutierrez

MIAMI – Like many Cuban baseball stars, outfielder Leonys Martin dreamed of leaving the communist island for the bright lights and big money of Major League Baseball.

Martin signed with the Texas Rangers in 2011, but only after what court documents describe as a harrowing ordeal in which he was held for ransom in Mexico.

Three people have been indicted in Miami on federal charges of hostage-taking and extortion conspiracy. Martin also is suing his alleged kidnappers for the return of more than $1.3 million he has already paid them.

In 2010, Martin and several family members and friends contacted a man offering a trip from Cuba on a yacht to Cancun, Mexico. Instead of journeying north from there, they were taken to a house and watched by two armed men.

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