Texas Brothers Face Charges for Armed Kidnapping and $8M Crypto Heist

Guns drawn and digital wallets drained—Texas siblings orchestrate a high-stakes crypto grab.

The Setup

Forget Wall Street wolves—these brothers went old-school with firearms before going digital with their getaway. Held a victim at gunpoint, forced crypto transfers totaling eight million dollars. Makes your average bank robbery look like amateur hour.

The Fallout

Law enforcement tracks the blockchain trail straight to their doorstep. Charges pile up faster than transaction fees during a bull run. Another reminder that crypto's transparency cuts both ways—even for armed criminals.

Just another day where traditional crime meets digital assets—proving once again that some investors will literally hold guns to your head instead of reading the whitepaper.

Crypto-related crimes on the rise

There has been a surge in crypto kidnappings in 2025 across the globe. These incidents involve physical abuse and other forms of torture to get passkeys or a large ransom. The crypto payments are private, which makes it hard to find kidnappers. 

Earlier this year, U.S. law enforcement arrested John Woeltz and William Duplessie for the kidnapping and torture of Italian crypto millionaire Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan to gain access to his Bitcoin credentials. France and the UK have witnessed similar kidnapping incidents. The father of a cryptocurrency influencer from Dubai was abducted on New Year’s Eve, and the victim was harmed in exchange for a ransom of €5–7 million ($5.7–7.98 million) from his son. One of the elderly man’s fingers was brutally severed when the police pulled him from a car trunk.

The recent surge in crypto-kidnapping incidents has exposed the negative aspects of the digital market. As cryptocurrencies grow quickly, people need to be aware of their safety and security, not just their data, but also their lives.

Also Read: India’s IT Department Uncovers $19M Crypto Fraud Targeting Farmers