The FBI is asking victims who may have been held against their will and extorted for cash by a Corpus Christi tire shop owner and his employees to come forward to help them build their case.
The FBI believes that Victor Daniel “Danny” Almaguer may have targeted people in San Antonio, Houston and the Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Valley areas as part of a scheme to extort victims who believed they were responding to an online job ad. Instead, Almaguer allegedly lured at least one victim to his Corpus Christi shop, Danny’s Tire Service, where employees allegedly beat him before stealing their money and stealing his identity to open lines of credit.
Federal agents arrested Almaguer and one of his shop employees, Robert Luis Saldaña, on September 29, 2025, after the victim reported the incident. A third suspect, along with Almaguer and Saldaña, was indicted the next day.
According to court documents, the victim, identified as “C.O.B” in court documents, endured an hours-long ordeal in which he was beaten and forced to withdraw thousands of dollars from local banks under threats of death or harm to his family.
It all allegedly began on March 14, 2025, when the victim responded to a Facebook Marketplace message offering $750 to transport a load of tires from “Danny’s Tire Shop.”
When the victim arrived, he was taken into an office and put on a video call with Almaguer. Several workers then entered and locked the door, and the victim began to suspect something was wrong, prompting him to text his wife his location.
During the call, Almaguer allegedly interrogated the victim, accused him of working with thieves, and demanded payment. He also allegedly threatened to contact the FBI if the victim didn’t confess, then ordered the workers to beat him. The victim later identified Saldaña as one of the people who carried out the assault.
The men allegedly forced the victim to give up his Social Security number, email, and banking information. They then used it to open nearly $6,000 in credit with lease-to-own companies.
They also drove the victim to multiple ATMs, successfully withdrawing $2,000. When another attempt failed, they allegedly forced him into a bank to withdraw $4,000 alongside a coconspirator identified as Adame. Adame claimed ties to the Gulf Cartel and allegedly threatened to kill the victim if he “did not smile and act normally” inside the bank. Adame’s full name remains unclear, as his identity has been redacted in all but one place in court documents.
The men then made a stop at a jeweler, where Adame allegedly used the victim’s American Express card to buy a $10,000 gold necklace for his daughter. Afterward they returned to the tire shop and told the victim he could leave. The victim immediately reported the kidnapping to police in Beeville, court records show. Altogether, he had been held for about four hours.
Agents arrested Almaguer and Saldaña on kidnapping, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges last September. Adame remains at large. On January 28, Saldaña pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and faces up to life in prison. Almaguer owned and operated four tire shops in Corpus Christi.
The FBI is encouraging anyone who also may have been a victim of the extortion scheme to come forward by calling their tip line at 832-426-0778 or by filling out this online form.