Two men charged in Wisconsin with stuffing employee in storage box

By Brendan O'Brien

(Reuters) - Two Illinois men were charged on Thursday in central Wisconsin with stuffing their employee into a storage box and leaving him there for five hours after accusing him of stealing from their cell phone store, authorities said.

Firas Yasin, 36, of Tinley Park and Eyad Abdel-Jalil, 38, of Orland Park were charged in Dane County Circuit Court with attacking a 21-year-old employee on Sunday after accusing him of theft at their Cricket Wireless store in Madison, online court records and police records showed.

The men then stuffed him in a small storage box, forcing him to remain in a fetal position, letting him out periodically over the course of five hours, police said. The employee escaped after realizing the box was unlocked, according to police.

The employee suffered bumps and bruises, police said.

The pair were charged with felony kidnapping, robbery, misdemeanor battery and other charges, according to online court records. Bail was set at $10,000 each. They could be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison if they are convicted.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Eric Beech)