'Delivery drivers' stole $6.5 million from California crypto owner at gunpoint, feds say - BERITAJA

Three Tennessee men posing arsenic transportation drivers allegedly forced a California crypto millionare to unfastened his cryptocurrency relationship astatine gunpoint, past transferred $6.5 cardinal into 1 of their ain accounts, prosecutors said this week.

The 3 men person now been indicted successful national tribunal connected aggregate robbery and kidnapping counts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said they had engaged successful a convulsive robbery spree successful the Bay Area and Los Angeles targeting aggregate victims. Elijah Armstrong, 21, Nino Chindavanh, 21, and Jayden Rucker, 25, each look up to life successful situation if convicted.

“These individuals, arsenic alleged, terrorized their victims successful the hopes of stealing immense sums of cryptocurrency,” U.S. Atty. Craig H. Missakian said successful a connection Monday. “The strategy was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous.”

The 3 men allegedly conspired to kidnap and rob group of their cryptocurrency successful San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles, the agency said. They allegedly utilized zip ties and duct portion to restrain astatine slightest 1 unfortunate and unit him to motion into his crypto account. After gaining access, the defendants allegedly transferred the money successful the victim’s relationship to 1 of the defendant’s crypto wallets, the prosecutor’s agency said.

Armstrong, Chindavanh and Rucker were arrested successful December and stay successful national custody. They look charges of conspiracy to perpetrate Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to perpetrate kidnapping, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and attempted kidnapping. The Hobbs Act prohibits robbery that interferes pinch interstate aliases overseas commerce.