A gun-fueled kidnapping and robbery case involving crypto assets in Minnesota, USA, has entered the plea stage. Federal prosecutors disclosed on June 18 that two brothers from Texas have pleaded guilty to robbery charges. Prosecutors stated that the two men held a family at gunpoint in their home and forced them to transfer more than $8 million in digital assets.
The two defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office, 25-year-old Isiah Angelo Garcia and 24-year-old Raymond Christian Garcia both pleaded guilty to one count of "interfering with business by robbery." Prosecutors say they each face up to 20 years in federal prison, and sentencing dates have not yet been determined.
Prosecutors also stated that the two men agreed to pay more than $8 million in restitution in their plea agreements. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the case is related to an armed home invasion robbery that occurred in Grant, Minnesota in September 2025.
A family of three was detained for more than 8 hours.
Court records show the incident occurred on September 19, 2025. Prosecutors stated that the two defendants broke into the victim's home, tied up the victim, his wife, and son, and held the family at gunpoint for over eight hours, demanding access to encrypted accounts.
Prosecutors allege that one of the defendants then took the primary victim to a family cabin in northern Minnesota and forced him to retrieve additional storage devices containing encrypted assets. Ultimately, the victim was forced to transfer over $8 million in digital assets.
Case materials also show that the victim's son called 911 after one of the suspects left the residence. When police arrived at the scene, the victim's wife and son were still bound inside the house. Investigators subsequently found a dismantled AR-15 rifle, ammunition, and other items near the residence.
The remaining physical evidence points to Texas.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that investigators identified the suspects based on evidence left at the scene. Earlier indictment documents show that a Wendy's receipt, car rental records, motel records, and surveillance video helped police track the two men's movements after they fled Minnesota.
Police arrested the two men in Texas on September 22, 2025. Prosecutors said Isiah Garcia later admitted that he and his brother drove from Texas to Minnesota, held the victim's family at gunpoint, and forced them to complete cryptocurrency asset transfers.
The case was initially prosecuted by Washington County, Minnesota, on charges of kidnapping, robbery, and burglary, before being moved to the federal level for further proceedings.
Increase in violent crimes against cryptocurrency holders
This guilty plea case has once again drawn attention to "wrench attacks," a term that typically refers to criminals using violence, threats, or kidnapping to force cryptocurrency holders to hand over their digital assets, rather than relying on technological intrusion.
Security firm CertiK previously reported that 34 such cases were confirmed globally between January and April 2026, with estimated losses of approximately $101 million. An earlier report indicated that 72 verified crypto-related crimes involving physical coercion were recorded in 2025, a 75% increase compared to 2024.
France has also seen several kidnapping and attempted kidnapping incidents related to crypto assets this year. As cases of cryptocurrency holders facing offline violent threats increase, these incidents are becoming a continued focus for law enforcement and security companies.
