BOSTON — Seven Massachusetts men have been hit with federal indictments after allegedly kidnapping a Quincy man, dragging him to a Saugus garage, and subjecting him to a night of torture that prosecutors say was live-streamed to the victim’s family over FaceTime.

According to charging documents, masked gang members beat, burned, and brutalized the victim while demanding ransom from his spouse and associates. The kidnappers allegedly made video calls using the victim’s phone — forcing loved ones to watch the horror unfold in real time.

🔥BREAKING: As Operation Summer Heat, an FBI initiative to crush violent crime in our communities winds down, FBI Boston's Violent Crimes Task Force & SWAT Teams were out in full force today disrupting a kidnapping conspiracy in which seven men have been charged for allegedly… pic.twitter.com/xutH9woG4Q

— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) September 16, 2025

The ransom haul? Roughly $22,000 in cash and a Rolex watch, handed over under duress as the victim was held captive and humiliated.

Federal prosecutors named five men — Brian “B” Cardoso of Dorchester, Marcus “Skino” Castaldi of Revere, Melvin “Mel” Coleman of Roxbury, Anthony “YT” Lima of Quincy, and Samuel Alouidor of Dorchester — along with two unnamed co-defendants. Cardoso is already linked to the NOB gang, a violent Dorchester crew accused of murders, drug trafficking, and sex trafficking.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley called the acts “nothing short of barbaric” and promised the defendants will face the “full weight of the federal justice system.” FBI Special Agent Ted Docks added: “What they’re accused of doing is nothing short of a terrifying nightmare brought to life.”

The case is yet another example of federal law enforcement stepping in to do the job Boston leaders can’t — or won’t — do. While Mayor Michelle Wu insists Boston is the “safest city in America,” it was the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office who dismantled this alleged torture-for-ransom ring.

The indictments were announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide DOJ push targeting gangs and transnational criminal networks. If convicted, the men face life in prison.

For now, they’re presumed innocent. But the story lays bare a brutal truth: in Wu’s “safest city,” masked gangs are allegedly burning victims alive on FaceTime while the Feds once again do the job the city couldn’t do.