Suspect indicted in Vallejo 'Gone Girl' kidnapping case

VALLEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- A Harvard Law School graduate and former U.S. Marine has been indicted in the mysterious "Gone Girl" kidnapping case in Vallejo, which was previously deemed a hoax.

Matthew D. Muller, 38, of South Lake Tahoe, has been charged with one count of kidnapping, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced on Thursday.

Muller is accused of breaking into a home in Vallejo on March 23, kidnapping Denise Huskins and restraining her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, according to court documents.

Muller demanded a $15,000 ransom, held her for two days, and ultimately released her in Huntington Beach, the documents stated.

At the time, police in Vallejo said that they found "no evidence to support the claims" that an abduction occurred, but both Huskins and Quinn denied any involvement in a hoax.

On June 29, the FBI obtained a warrant to arrest Muller for the alleged kidnapping. Muller was already in custody for a home-invasion robbery in Dublin, Calif.

"The bizarre circumstances of the events in Vallejo in March complicated the investigation of this matter," said Wagner. "But the Vallejo Police Department, the FBI, and our law enforcement allies in Alameda County have done excellent work in recent months to bring this investigation to a conclusion."

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Muller recently worked as an immigrants' rights attorney at a San Francisco law firm, but was disbarred in 2015 after failing to file immigration paperwork for a client, lying to the client about it, then refusing to refund his client $1,250. He also failed to respond to the State Bar about his alleged misconduct.

From 1995 to 1999, Muller served in the Marines primarily as a trumpet player. He left the Marines a sergeant.

Muller is currently being held in the Sacramento County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.

If convicted, Muller faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Associated Press and sister station KGO-TV contributed to this report.