Three defendants sentenced to prison for international parental kidnapping after taking toddler to Mexico

A Pullman man, his girlfriend and his father were sentenced Wednesday to federal prison after the couple fled to Mexico with the man's toddler and the father tried to help his son avoid arrest.

Aaron D. Aung and Jaimes T. Aung were found guilty in December of the federal charge of international parental kidnapping and conspiracy to commit that charge, following a bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice. The girlfriend, Nadia E. Cole, pleaded guilty to international parental kidnapping.

Rice sentenced all three defendants Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Spokane.

Aaron Aung was ordered to serve three years in prison and three years of supervised release, according to court records. Jaimes Aung was sentenced to 2 1/2 in prison and two years of supervised release. Cole received a six-month prison term and one year of probation.

The child's mother dropped the toddler, Seraya, off with Aaron Aung on May 29, 2024, per their custody agreement, according to court documents. Seraya was supposed to be returned to her mother on June 3.

Following the May 29 exchange, Aaron Aung drove his father's vehicle to Tacoma, where he met Cole outside a hotel, according to prior news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Washington.

Cole left the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier that day while in line for an international flight. She left her phone and other personal items at the airport and took a taxi to the hotel, where she waited for Aaron Aung.

Cole, therefore, was reported missing, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting.

Investigators contacted Aaron Aung's parents in hopes of finding Cole. The parents told police Aaron Aung had taken his daughter to Montana to go fishing with friends. Aaron Aung's parents also reported him and his daughter missing in Flathead County, Montana, when he didn't return on time from the fishing trip.

When Aaron Aung didn't show up on June 3 to return his daughter to her mother, the mother reported Seraya missing.

Aaron Aung and Cole traveled to Mexico with the child, crossing the border June 1, 2024, and remained there for weeks, violating the custody order, according to the release. They had no contact with the child's mother, and law enforcement was unaware of their whereabouts for several weeks.

During that time, Jaimes Aung communicated with his son using coded messaging. They discussed plans, with Jaimes Aung warning Aaron Aung about the ongoing FBI investigation and advising how to avoid law enforcement.

On July 4, Aaron Aung, Cole and Seraya were contacted by Mexican officials, and Cole was deported to the U.S, according to previous Spokesman-Review reporting.

Three days later, Aaron Aung and his daughter were taken by Mexican officials to the U.S. border in Arizona, where Aaron Aung was detained on a felony warrant for custodial interference. The child was returned to her mother.

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