The U.S. Department of Justice says two brothers from Texas have pleaded guilty to an armed kidnapping and robbery targeting cryptocurrency holders. Prosecutors say the two traveled to Minnesota in 2025, held a family hostage for hours, and forced the victims to transfer more than $8 million in cryptocurrency assets.
Armed control of a family for hours
According to a Justice Department report, 25-year-old Isiah Angelo Garcia and 24-year-old Raymond Christian Garcia pleaded guilty Thursday to robbery involving interference with business. Both appeared in the Minneapolis Federal District Court.
Prosecutors stated that the incident occurred on the morning of September 19, 2025. After entering a residence in Grant, Minnesota, the two men held the family at gunpoint, demanding access to their encrypted accounts and restraining the family members with cleats. The entire ordeal lasted for more than eight hours.
Court documents show that one of the defendants also forced the victim to travel to a family cabin in northern Minnesota to retrieve more cryptocurrency storage devices and continue transferring funds. Prosecutors say the total amount of cryptocurrency assets ultimately transferred exceeded $8 million.
Police identified the suspect based on the items left behind.
The case took a turn when the victim's son managed to call 911. The two suspects then fled the scene. Investigators identified them based on items left behind in the residence and tracked them down to the Houston area, eventually arresting them.
The Justice Department stated that both defendants admitted to threatening the victim's family with firearms. Under the plea agreement, in addition to facing criminal charges, they agreed to pay over $8 million in restitution. The court has not yet announced a sentencing date.
- Each defendant could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
- The two have agreed to pay over $8 million in settlement.
- The sentencing date has not yet been determined.
The number of cryptographic "wrench attack" cases is increasing.
This case is considered one of the larger-scale crypto "wrench attack" cases in the United States. These types of cases typically do not involve hacking to steal assets, but rather directly kidnapping, beating, or threatening cryptocurrency holders with guns to force them to hand over their private keys, account permissions, or complete transfers.
Similar cases have been increasing in the United States and Europe in recent years. The report mentions that France has recently charged 88 people in several related kidnapping cases, including David Balland, co-founder of the hardware wallet company Ledger. Security experts believe that the number of publicly disclosed cases may still be lower than the actual number of incidents.
