World · Europe · 6 hrs ago
Ex Roma youth player gets nine years in kidnapping case
Italy’s highest court upheld prison sentences for two men over the 2022 kidnapping of Danilo Valeri in Rome.
Aboudramane Diaby, a former Roma youth player, was sentenced to nine years, while Osvaldo Jimenez Gonzalez received five years.
The kidnapping happened outside a restaurant in Ponte Milvio on the night of December 23, 2022.
Valeri, the son of Maurizio Valeri, was forced into a car and held for about ten hours in a room in the Cinecittà area.
The case was linked to a disputed drug debt, initially put at 17,000 euros and later reduced to 9,000 euros.
Valeri was freed after his father intervened.
The Court of Cassation rejected the men’s appeals, making their sentences final and closing the case against them.
A third man, Dylan Londono Reyes, is still awaiting a first-instance ruling, according to one account.
The Italian Court of Cassation made Aboudramane Diaby’s nine-year prison sentence for kidnapping Danilo Valeri final.
Diaby, a former Roma youth player, was convicted alongside Osvaldo Jimenez Gonzalez, who received a five-year sentence.
Valeri was seized outside the Moku restaurant in Rome’s Ponte Milvio area on 23 December 2022 and held for about ten hours.
Reports say the kidnapping was linked to a drug debt, initially put at €17,000 and later reduced to €9,000.
Diaby’s lawyer said the case had been reconstructed one-sidedly, while the other defence lawyer said his client’s role and cooperation deserved different consideration.
- Who
- Aboudramane Diaby and Osvaldo Jimenez Gonzalez were convicted. Danilo Valeri was the victim.
- What
- The Court of Cassation rejected the defence appeals, making prison sentences of nine years for Diaby and five years for Jimenez final.
- When
- The kidnapping took place on 23 December 2022. The final ruling was reported on 28 and 29 October 2026.
- Where
- Valeri was seized outside the Moku restaurant in Ponte Milvio, Rome, and held in a room in an occupied hotel in Cinecittà.
- Why
- The kidnapping was linked to a drug debt. Reports say it was initially estimated at €17,000 and later reduced to €9,000.
Diaby and Jimenez’s defence lawyers
The courts
Case assessment
Diaby and Jimenez’s defence lawyers
Diaby’s lawyer said the case was reconstructed in a one-sided way and that evidence favourable to the defendant was set aside.
The courts
The Court of Cassation rejected the appeals, confirming the sentences imposed in the second-degree trial.
Jimenez’s role
Diaby and Jimenez’s defence lawyers
His lawyer said his role deserved different consideration in light of his cooperation and limited participation.
The courts
The courts confirmed his five-year sentence.
Valeri was seized outside the Moku restaurant in Ponte Milvio and taken to a hotel room in Cinecittà.
Valeri was released after his father intervened.
Il Messaggero reported that the Court of Cassation had rejected the defence appeals and confirmed the sentences.
RomaToday and La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the convictions were final.
- Diaby
- Nine years in prison
- Jimenez Gonzalez
- Five years in prison
- Victim
- Danilo Valeri, son of Maurizio Valeri
- Kidnapping location
- Outside the Moku restaurant, Ponte Milvio, Rome
- Time held
- About ten hours
- Debt cited
- Initially €17,000, later reduced to €9,000
3 sources
What people are saying
Unfortunately, the case was reconstructed in a one-sided accusatory way, setting aside all the conflicting elements and those favourable to the defendant, and the Court of Cassation cannot rewrite the story told in the first- and second-instance judgments.
We respect the Court’s decision, but my client’s role deserved different consideration in light of the cooperation he provided and his minimal participation in the events.