Man arrested in South Lake Tahoe linked to Vallejo kidnapping

A disbarred attorney arrested in South Lake Tahoe has been accused of kidnapping 29-year old Denise Huskins of Vallejo, Calif., on March 23, the FBI confirmed Monday.

Harvard Law School graduate Matthew Muller, 38, of Orangevale, Calif., was arrested at his family home on Genoa Avenue in the Black Bart neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe on June 9. As reported by South Tahoe Now, Alameda County Sheriffs, Dublin, Calif., Police Officers and members of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department went to the home where they suspected Muller was hiding out after an attempted Dublin home invasion robbery that resulted in the assault of the homeowner.

The FBI then obtained a warrant for the arrest of Muller for the alleged kidnapping of Denise Huskins, the subject of a bizarre kidnapping which at one time was called a "hoax", "wild goose chase" and a "waste of valuable police resources." Huskins turned up a week after being kidnapped and after a $8,500 ransom had been demanded. Her boyfriend Aaron Quinn had been accused of orchestrating the event.

Evidence found after a search warrant was served at the South Lake Tahoe home June 30 links Muller to the Huskins kidnapping and possibly other similar crimes. The FBI pulled out truck loads of evidence as well as DNA.

The stolen Ford Mustang used in the kidnapping of Huskins was also found in South Lake Tahoe.

Information obtained during the course of the ongoing investigation indicates Muller may have committed similar crimes elsewhere. The FBI issued a press release Monday in hopes that anyone with information on such information will come forward.

According to the affidavit, on March 23, 2015, at approximately 1:53 p.m., a male victim called the Vallejo Police Department to report that his residence in Vallejo had been broken into during the early morning hours, and an unknown subject or subjects forcibly drugged both him and the female victim and then used the male victim’s car to take the female victim to an unknown location.

Victim statements to Vallejo Police Department officers and FBI agents reveal the male and female victims fell asleep in the master bedroom during the early morning hours of March 23. The male victim was awakened by a bright light shining in his eyes, a noise that was similar to a “stun gun,” and the voice of man who demanded that both victims lie face down on the bed.

The subject ordered the female victim to bind the male victim with zip ties and told both to enter the bedroom closet. The subject covered the male victim’s eyes with swim goggles with tape-covered lenses to restrict vision and, once the victim was in the closet, placed a pair of headphones over the male victim’s ears.

The headphones were used to play a prerecorded message that provided instructions, indicated that the break-in was being performed by a professional group on-site to collect financial debts, and threatened that both victims would be hurt by electric shock or by cutting their faces if either of the two victims did not comply.

The subject then obtained financial account numbers and passwords from the male victim. He also obtained information for the residence’s Wi-Fi router, the male victim’s laptop, and certain Internet accounts.

The male victim was placed on the couch and was told he was being watched on camera and to not try to free himself. He requested a blanket because he was cold, and the subject replied that he was unaware of the temperature because he was wearing a “wet suit.”

The male victim fell asleep on the couch for a period of time, and, upon awakening later the same day, he freed himself. The male victim then noticed that the female victim, his laptop, and his car were missing. He was able to locate cell phones belonging to both he and the female victim. His phone contained a voicemail message with a financial demand and instructions to tell those who inquired about his transactions to say the funds were for purchase of a ski boat.

On the morning of March 25, 2015, the female victim was released in Huntington Beach, Calif.

During the early morning hours of June 5, 2015, deputies from the Dublin Police Services, of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a report of a home invasion robbery. During the course of their investigation, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to identify Matthew Muller as the subject of the investigation.

Muller is currently in the Alameda County Jail on $380,000 bail. His next court date is August 27 where a motion to suppress will be heard.

Individuals who believe they are a victim of a similar crime and law enforcement agencies aware of similar crimes are urged to contact agents with the Sacramento Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).