A 76-year-old man who pleaded guilty for his part in the kidnapping of an Irvine woman to extort money from her family was sentenced on Friday, Nov. 1, to four years in prison, or time he has already served behind bars awaiting trial.
Ezra Schley pleaded guilty Oct. 8, 2021, to felony burglary. As part of his plea deal, felony charges of kidnapping for ransom or extortion and attempted extortion by force or threat were dismissed, according to court records.
“He just got sucked up into something by those guys,” said Schley’s attorney, Cameron Talley.
Co-defendants Yang “Rose” Wang, 42, of Huntington Beach and Reha Soylular, 60, of Newport Beach, pleaded guilty in June to kidnapping for extortion, burglary and attempted extortion by force or threat, all felonies. They were sentenced to six years and six months in prison.
Co-defendant George Armando Medrano, 36, pleaded guilty June 29, 2022, to kidnapping, burglary and attempted extortion, all felonies. Medrano was sentenced then to 13 years and eight months in prison, according to court records.
The four kidnapped the victim from her apartment on Aug. 28, 2019, and then demanded a large sum of money from her husband and mother-in-law for her safe return, said Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The defendants sent the victim’s family photos of her through an online app, Edds said. The victim was “previously acquainted” with at least one of the four, she said.
The woman was rescued by Irvine police, the District Attorney’s Office said.
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