During the period from September 2022 to July 2023, a group led by 24-year-old Felix St. Felix, a man from West Palm Beach, Florida, targeted cryptocurrency holders in multiple states and carried out attacks. These robberies took place in Durham, North Carolina, as well as in Florida, Texas, and New York, and involved home invasions, kidnapping residents, and forcing them to transfer their cryptocurrency holdings. In one case, St. Felix and an accomplice assaulted a victim in their home, bound them with zip ties, and threatened violence against the victim and their spouse, resulting in the theft of over $150,000 in cryptocurrency. The man currently faces a minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Link to the original article by the US Department of Justice:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-convicted-violent-home-invasion-robberies-steal-cryptocurrency
Translation:
A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, today found a Florida man guilty of leading an international conspiracy involving breaking into the homes of U.S. citizens, violently kidnapping and assaulting them, and stealing their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, 24-year-old Remy St. Felix, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was the ringleader of a violent home invasion robbery crew that targeted cryptocurrency holders. From September 2022 through July 2023, St. Felix helped plan and organize a series of robberies in Durham, North Carolina, as well as in Florida, Texas, and New York, where victims were kidnapped in their own homes and forced to access and empty their cryptocurrency accounts.
“St. Felix and his co-conspirators engaged in brutal home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies targeting victims across the United States in order to steal cryptocurrency,” said Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. “Despite the members of this violent conspiracy attempting to conceal their tracks through encrypted communications and anonymous financial transactions, they were ultimately unable to evade the dedicated investigators and prosecutors. Today’s jury verdict – the latest in over a dozen convictions in this case – should serve as a reminder that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent criminals to justice, no matter how sophisticated their criminal techniques.”
“The victims in this case endured terrifying and painful experiences that no citizen should have to endure,” said Sandra J. Hairston, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. “The defendants and their co-conspirators terrorized their targets purely out of greed. The jury’s verdict in this case represents an important step towards obtaining justice for these victims.”
According to trial evidence, in April 2023, St. Felix and an accomplice forcibly entered the home of a victim. Once there, St. Felix and his accomplice assaulted the victim, restrained them with zip ties, and held a gun to the victim’s head while threatening further violence against the victim and their spouse, while other co-conspirators transferred over $150,000 in cryptocurrency from the victim’s accounts.
Evidence introduced at trial showed that before committing the home invasions, St. Felix and his accomplices gained unauthorized access to the targets’ email accounts and conducted physical surveillance. They laundered money through anonymous-enhanced cryptocurrencies like Monero, “instant exchanges,” and decentralized financial platforms that do not require customer identification. St. Felix and his co-conspirators communicated about targets and money laundering activities using encrypted messaging applications.
“The FBI and its partners will not tolerate violence committed in pursuit of cryptocurrency, as demonstrated by Remy St. Felix’s actions,” said Timothy Langan, Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “We are proud of the work done for today’s conviction and it should serve as a warning to others who may consider engaging in similar activities that we will not stop until you pay for your actions.”
“The crimes committed by this violent cryptocurrency theft ring are shocking. They held victims hostage in their own homes and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from their cryptocurrency accounts,” said Robert M. Dewitte, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “This investigation is an excellent example of what local FBI field offices can accomplish. We hope the hard work of the Criminal and Cyber Squads will bring some sense of justice to the victims who were terrorized by this group.”
St. Felix was arrested by the FBI in July 2023 while en route to New York to commit a home invasion. Thirteen of St. Felix’s co-conspirators, including members of his home invasion crew, were also arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.
The jury found St. Felix guilty on nine counts, including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud, and using a firearm in a violent crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, Sandra J. Hairston, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, and Robert M. Dewitte, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Field Office, announced the verdict.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Durham Police Department and FBI field offices in New York, Miami, Houston, Mobile, and Newark. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina, is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Evenson and Trial Attorney Brian Mund are prosecuting the case.
Tags:
cryptocurrency
Wu Shuo Blockchain
Source link:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7_ytaAzzQg5wfihj3ZLDxg