Last year, Curtis Dixon went viral for being kind. A Detroit man stopped to help someone who appeared to be blind. It turned out to be Zach Dereniowski, the influencer known as MDMotivator, who said Dixon was the “first kind person to help him.” Dereniowski raised money for him, and Dixon ended up with more than $100,000, a new car and other gifts.
Days later, he was kidnapped, beaten, tied up and left with his SUV on fire. Now all five people charged in the plot have pleaded guilty, and one of them is his own nephew, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
What happened to Curtis Dixon after the viral video?
According to federal investigators, the plot started with money talk. In a recorded jail call on Aug. 22, 2025, Dixon’s nephew, Roland Chatmon, said, “I need some racks real quick.” On Sept. 1, a woman named Leica Lopez Martinez asked Dixon for a ride, saying her car had broken down. He was ambushed, bound, hooded and driven to multiple ATMs.
At the same time, people broke into his Southwest Detroit home, tied up his wife and stole a safe. Dixon was later found next to his burning GMC Yukon Denali on the city’s east side. Witnesses said they pulled him out.
Who pleaded guilty, and what sentences do they face?
Four people pleaded guilty to kidnapping conspiracy and federal firearms charges: Chatmon, 37, of Detroit; Lopez Martinez, 33, of Lake Orion; and Ieasha Stroman, 38, and Dneiqua Stroman, 43, both of Pontiac. Each faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in federal prison and up to life. A fifth man, Kenneth Anderson, 54, of Pontiac, pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to probation and restitution. The ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office led the case.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 3, 2027 for Lopez Martinez, Feb. 9 for Dneiqua Stroman, Feb. 25 for Chatmon and March 15 for Ieasha Stroman.
The BeezLoop Take
Viral kindness videos sell a simple story: do good, get rewarded. This case shows the part the camera doesn’t catch. When a stranger’s windfall is posted for millions to see, including where he lives and what he drives, it can make him a target, and here the danger came from inside his own family.
None of that is on Dixon, who did the decent thing. But creators who hand out cash on camera should think harder about what they publicize, and how much, before the views roll in.
The open question: will influencers who stage these giveaways change how they film and share them, or is the next Curtis Dixon already out there?
Sources: FOX 2 Detroit · FOX 2 Detroit (video)
