- Two Texas brothers kidnapped a Minnesota family, stealing US$8 million (AU$12.23 million) in crypto.
- Victims were held for nine hours at gunpoint and forced to transfer cryptocurrency to the suspects.
- Authorities tracked and arrested the brothers in Texas; they face federal and state charges.
Federal and state authorities have filed charges against two Texas brothers accused of kidnapping a Minnesota family and extorting cryptocurrency valued at US$8 million (AU$12.23 million).
On 19 September, Raymond Garcia, 23, and his 24-year-old brother, Isiah, allegedly confronted a man outside his home in Grant, Minnesota, and forced him inside at gunpoint with an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun. Once inside, they zip-tied the man’s wife and adult son after waking them and kept them restrained on the floor.
Court filings state that they held the family for around nine hours, forcing transfers of cryptocurrency into accounts under their control. Prosecutors said Isiah Garcia compelled the father to drive to a family cabin to obtain access to more assets stored on a hard-drive-style wallet, while Raymond Garcia remained behind to guard the other two victims. Records indicate that an initial transfer of US$36,000 (AU$55,044) was made before further amounts were retrieved from the cabin wallet.
Authorities reported that the son managed to call emergency services after Raymond Garcia temporarily left the property. Police arrived to find the wife and son restrained, while a suitcase containing a broken-down firearm, clothing and receipts was recovered.
The search for the suspects prompted Mahtomedi High School to cancel its homecoming football match on 22 September, while Bloomington’s Kennedy High School later forfeited its fixture against Mahtomedi.
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Authorities Condemn ‘Horrific’ Crime
Investigators linked the brothers to the crime through receipts and surveillance footage, eventually arresting them at their residence in Waller, Texas, on 22 September. Isiah Garcia later confessed to driving from Texas and participating in the kidnapping, though authorities did not recover any stolen cryptocurrency during searches.
The pair now face federal kidnapping charges in addition to state charges including armed kidnapping, aggravated robbery and burglary. Acting US Attorney Joseph H. Thompson condemned the crime as “a blow to the sense of safety of everyone in Minnesota”. FBI Minneapolis Special Agent Alvin Winston Sr. labelled the attack “horrific” and “brazen”.
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