Roland Chatmon, 37, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal kidnapping conspiracy and gun charges for orchestrating a brutal attack on his own uncle.
Chatmon, of Michigan, admitted in Detroit federal court that he plotted to abduct Curtis Dixon, his uncle, and steal more than $100,000 Dixon had received from a viral TikTok moment. Four co-defendants — Leica Lopez Martinez, 33, Ieasha Stroman, 38, Dneiqua Stroman, 43, and Kenneth Anderson, 54 — also entered guilty pleas for their roles in the September 2025 scheme, prosecutors announced.
The conspiracy began in August 2025 after Dixon, then struggling financially and preparing to pawn his wedding ring, appeared in a video with Zach Dereniowski, the TikTok creator known as MDMotivator. Dereniowski, who has over 28 million followers, was pretending to be blind for the clip when Dixon offered to help him. Touched by the gesture, Dereniowski gave Dixon $1,000 on the spot and later launched a GoFundMe that raised more than $100,000. Dixon also received a new truck and additional gifts from the campaign.
Chatmon contacted his brother, who was in jail at the time, and the two devised the robbery plot against their own relative. Investigators said the pair even laughed about targeting Dixon during their conversations.
The ambush unfolded on Sept. 1. One suspect lured Dixon into giving them a ride while Chatmon directed him by phone. When Dixon pulled over, the rest of the group surrounded him at gunpoint.
Dixon was hog-tied and held hostage in his own truck, where the crew repeatedly pistol-whipped and beat him while driving around to drain his bank accounts. After successful cash withdrawals, the attackers demanded more, and Dixon told them about a safe at his home containing additional money.
“The conspirators drove to the victim’s house and, with the victim still tied up in his truck, Chatmon and Dneiqua Stroman broke into his house and stole the safe,” prosecutors said in their statement. During the home invasion, the group also tied up Chatmon’s aunt and left her in a bathtub.
The attackers dumped Dixon on the ground beside his truck, set the vehicle on fire, and fled. They later connected with Anderson, who helped transfer cash from Dixon’s Cash App into accounts controlled by the conspirators.
Within a month, ATF agents executed raids at five homes across Detroit, Rochester Hills, and Pontiac, taking all five suspects into custody.
Chatmon, Lopez Martinez, and the two Stromans each face a minimum of seven years in federal prison and could receive life sentences. All four are scheduled for sentencing in early 2027. Anderson, who entered his guilty plea earlier, received probation and was ordered to pay restitution.
Dixon has not recovered all the donated money and is now struggling to pay rent, he told WXYZ in an interview. The betrayal by family has cut deepest.
“When I found out it was family, I was so hurt. I couldn’t believe it,” Dixon said. “I expected somebody on the streets to do it to me before a family member would.”
Despite the financial losses and physical trauma, Dixon said the guilty pleas brought relief.
“I’d rather be broke and happy, any day. I’d rather be broke and happy than rich and have to look over my shoulder,” he said.
Chatmon, Lopez Martinez, Ieasha Stroman, and Dneiqua Stroman are scheduled to be sentenced in early 2027.