Denise Huskins' lawyer calls kidnapping 'legitimate crime'

VALLEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- The attorney for a Vallejo woman reportedly kidnapped and held for ransom is finally speaking out. He says police are throwing his client under the bus.

Denise Huskins' lawyer Douglas L. Rappaport says the police are pegging the blame on his client in an effort to cover up for their mistakes during the investigation.

"When they thought that egg was going to end up on someone's face, they threw it on her. In fact, there is no egg here whatsoever. This is a legitimate crime," Rappaport said during a Thursday night news conference.

"She is absolutely, unequivocally, 100 percent, positively a victim, and this is no hoax," Rappaport said.

Huskins, 29, was reported missing on Monday in Vallejo by her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn. He told police that Huskins was kidnapped and being held for ransom.

The alleged kidnapping occurred early Monday morning, but Quinn didn't report it until around 2 p.m. That delay is part of what aroused suspicions, Vallejo police Lt. Kenny Park said.

"The statement that Mr. Quinn provided was such an incredible story, we initially had a hard time believing it, and upon further investigation, we were not able to substantiate any of the things that he was saying," Park said.

However, Quinn's attorney Dan Russo said Quinn was drugged and bound, and that's why he couldn't call police immediately. Russo also said that there was more than one kidnapper and that the suspects sent multiple text messages to Quinn's cellphone demanding $8,500.

On Wednesday, Huskins showed up in Huntington Beach, where her parents live. Rappaport says Huskins is back in Vallejo and is cooperating with investigators.

Vallejo police called the 29-year-old's kidnapping an orchestrated event during a press conference Wednesday night.

"I can tell you in the grand scheme of things, Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community and taken the focus away from the true victims of our community while instilling fear in our community members," Park said. "So if anything, it is Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins that owes this community an apology."

Authorities said charges can be filed against the couple for allegedly making the story up. The local district attorney will have the final say over what crime was actually committed and who committed that crime.

Meantime, anonymous emails from individuals claiming to be Huskins' kidnappers have been sent to the San Francisco Chronicle. The emails claim Huskins was indeed kidnapped. The origins of the emails have yet to be confirmed.