Key dealers
- Three teenagers in Florida are accused of kidnapping and steal $ 4 million in crypto.
- The victim was forced into a vehicle and later went miles to seek help.
Three teenagers are accused of removing a man at weapons outside his Las Vegas apartment and stealing $ 4 million in crypto and NFT before abandoning him in the remote Arizona desert, according to a new Report From 8 news now.
The attack occurred on a November evening last year, after the victim left a crypto event at a center of the Las Vegas business.
When he returned to his apartment complex and parked his car, he was ambushed by weapons of three teenagers – later identified as Bellal Ashraf, Austin Fletcher and a third named suspect.
The strikers forced him into the back seat of their vehicle, placed a towel over his head and warned him not to look at them. The suspects said that if he wanted to see another day he had to cooperate. They threatened to kill the victim and his father if he did not follow.
During hardness, the victim was ordered to hand over passwords and give access to their crypto accounts. Throughout the trial, the suspects seemed to receive instructions from someone on the speakerphone – which indicates that there was a fourth accomplice that coordinated the attack remotely and led the black -term black -term.
The trio drove the victim to White Hills, Arizona, more than 70 miles from Las Vegas.
After losing $ 4 million in crypto and NFT from the man’s accounts, they dumped him in the desert and fled. The victim managed to walk five miles to a gas station, where he was enough for help.
The castle set at $ 4 million
Investigators tracked a suspected vehicle that went from Florida to Nevada and stopped in important places, including the victim’s apartment complex.
In Mississippi, police recovered a firearm tied to a suspected family member who matched a weapon presented in one of the teenagers’ post on social media.
Ashraf and Fletcher, both 16 and from Pasco County, Florida, are now facing allegations of robbery, kidnapping and blackmail along with the third, unidentified teenage suspension, which, according to prosecutors, has left the United States.
Documents further revealed that the teens had a register of disturbing behavior at a high school in Florida, including swearing in several languages and physically confronting school staff.
At Fletcher’s probable causal negotiation, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel Westmeyer set the bail to $ 4 million. Ashraf was granted release under electronic surveillance.
Crypto investors are directed at kidnapping and robbery
A growing wave of kidnappings and blackmail attempts is aimed at individuals linked to crypto, such as investors, entrepreneurs and public figures.
Texas-based Streamer Amouranth was the victim of a home invasion in March during which armed suspects are reported held her on a gun and demanded access to her crypto holdings. Four individuals were later arrested in connection with the attack.
Outside the United States, recent incidents have escalated to worrying levels of physical violence. So far this year, there have been three crypto-related kidnapping cases in France.
The victims have included Ledger founder David Balland And most recently the father of a Paris-based crypto contractor who was abducted earlier this month, Per Le Parisien.
Legislative bodies in several countries sound the alarm about this increasing threat. Officials warn that organized criminal groups are increasingly aimed at individuals who are known to have significant digital assets and urge improved personal security protocols.
