Florida Teens Nabbed in Brazen $4M Crypto Heist—Kidnapping Plot Unravels
Two Florida teenagers just gave ’early retirement’ a whole new meaning—allegedly kidnapping a victim and swiping $4 million in crypto before the cops caught on. Because nothing says ’generational wealth’ like handcuffs before your high school graduation.
Details remain scarce, but authorities confirm the duo bypassed common sense (and several laws) to pull off the theft. The victim’s identity and exact crypto assets involved haven’t been disclosed—though given the market’s recent volatility, that $4M might be worth $3.2M by press time.
Law enforcement’s cracking down hard, proving once again that crypto’s pseudonymity cuts both ways: great for privacy, terrible for covering your tracks when you leave a digital trail wider than a Bitcoin maximalist’s ego.
Florida teens steal $4 million after kidnapping their victim
According to the authorities, the victim was asked, under duress, to hand over passwords and grant access to his crypto accounts. Throughout the attack, the victim mentioned that the suspects seemed to be acting under the instructions of a fourth party who was dishing out commands over the speakerphone of a mobile device. The fourth suspect looked like he was in charge of the whole operation, directing the extortion in real time.
The trio allegedly drove the victim to WHITE Hills, Arizona, about 70 miles from Las Vegas, where they carried out the crime. After draining the victim of about $4 million in several digital assets and NFTs, they dumped him in the desert and fled. The victim said he managed to walk about five miles before he came across a gas station where he reached out for help.
According to investigators, they tracked a suspect vehicle making its way from Florida to Nevada, stopping at several key locations, including the victim’s apartment complex. In Mississippi, the police mentioned that they recovered a firearm tied to one of the suspects’ family members. The police mentioned that the weapon matched the one that was used in one of the videos made by the suspects on social media.
Authorities nab suspects, one escapes
Authorities have now charged Ashraf and Fletcher, who are both 16 and from Pasco County in Florida, on allegations of robbery, kidnapping, and extortion, alongside their third unidentified accomplice, who prosecutors believe has fled the United States. According to court documents, the teen had records of disruption at their Florida high school, including swearing in different languages and physically confronting school staff. At Fletcher’s probable cause hearing, the Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel West Meyer set bail at $4 million, while Ashraf was granted release under electronic monitoring.
There has been a rise in kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting individuals linked to digital assets, including investors, public figures, and entrepreneurs. One of the latest incidents was that of Texas-based streamer Amouranth, who suffered a home invasion in March. The armed suspects held her at gunpoint and demanded access to her crypto holdings. The police later arrested four individuals in connection with the attack.
Outside of the United States, there have been three kidnappings in France, with the latest one the kidnapping of an aged father of a crypto millionaire. The criminal was said to have severed one of his fingers to pressure his son into conceding to their demands. Another one was the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland. Law enforcement agencies globally have been warning individuals holding a significant portion of digital assets to ensure they use enhanced security protocols to safeguard themselves.
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