Chicago family Kidnapped, forced to transfer $15m in crypto

A family from Chicago and their nanny were kidnapped for five days in October and forced to transfer millions of people to cryptocurrency before being released.

Six men were charged as part of the crime after having pretended to stole $ 15 million in cryptocurrency, notably Zehuan Wei, the fan of Zhang, Huajing Yan, Shengnan Jiang, Shiqiang Lian and Ye Cao, a story of Chicago Tribune reported February 12.

According to the FBI, the abduction took place in a townhouse in Chicago when one of the suspects struck the door, pretending to have damaged the victim’s garage door. When the victim replied, the armed men screened their way inside and took the family and their nanny under the threat of a weapon.

The victims were taken to a van in an airbnb in Forest Park, where they were held for one night before being transferred to another house. The kidnappers demanded ransom payments in Bitcoin, Ether and other cryptocurrencies, threatening to kill them if they refused. The kidnappers also had access to the cryptographic accounts of the victims and carried out the transactions themselves.

One of the victims was struck with a firearm, although he later thought that it could have been false. He also managed to contact his father through WeChat, the alert on the situation.

After five days in captivity, the kidnappers released the victims on November 1. Of the 15 million stolen dollars, the authorities later determined that $ 9 million remain unable to.

FBI agents have gathered evidence from surveillance sequences, rental vehicles and medico-legal analysis. Forest Park Airbnb security cameras have captured the kidnappers arriving in a white van and making phone calls. Investigators equaled these images to the suspects using customs and American border protection files and driving licenses issued by the state.

At least two victims were able to identify some of the suspects in a range of photos.

Wei was the first suspect to be apprehended. Customs and the protection of American borders arrested him on January 17 while he was trying to return to the country of Mexico at the Otay Mesa border post in California.

The FBI later determined that Jiang and Yan had climbed aboard a flight from Tijuana, Mexico, in Beijing on January 19, followed by Lian the next day. Authorities believe that some of the other suspects fled in China after the arrest of Wei.

On December 13, the six men were officially accused of kidnapping.

Recent crypto kidnappings

As cryptocurrencies become common, they also become Privileged targets for the crime. Last month, David Balland, the co-founder of the big book of the cryptocurrency portfolio manufacturer, was kidnapped and kept for ransom.

In November, Dean Skurka, CEO of Wonderfi, was removed In Toronto and was released after a ransom of $ 1 million. According to information, the suspects thought that the victim had a significant amount of bitcoin, which was not the case, however.