In a brazen early morning robbery, a criminal disguised as a delivery person in San Francisco made off with a staggering $11 million in cryptocurrency after holding a victim at gunpoint.
The Mission Dolores Home Invasion
The incident occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. on Saturday at a residence in the city's Mission Dolores neighbourhood, according to a police report acquired by the San Francisco Chronicle. The suspect, pretending to be a delivery driver, brandished a firearm before restraining the victim using duct tape.
After securing the individual, the thief fled the scene with the victim's mobile phone, laptop, and digital assets valued at over $11 million. It remains unclear whether the victim sustained physical injuries or if any arrests have been made in connection with the audacious crime.
A Disturbing Pattern of Crypto Crime
This high-value theft is not an isolated event but part of an alarming surge in robberies targeting cryptocurrency investors. Criminals are increasingly focusing on individuals with access to digital wallets containing millions of pounds worth of assets.
In a separate but related case in Los Angeles, a former LAPD officer and an alleged Israeli gangster have been charged with the kidnapping of a teenage cryptocurrency entrepreneur. Gabby Ben, 51, who has prior fraud convictions and was previously deported to Israel, and former officer Eric Halem, 38, allegedly abducted the teen last December.
The perpetrators handcuffed the youth and threatened to shoot him and subject him to waterboarding in a shower unless he granted them access to his cryptocurrency wallet. After the teenager initially provided access to an empty wallet, he eventually relented under duress, allowing the kidnappers to steal $350,000 in digital currency.
International Scale of Crypto Extortion
The trend extends beyond the United States. Months prior to these incidents, a cryptocurrency investor was arrested in Manhattan for allegedly holding an Italian businessman captive for more than two weeks inside a luxury New York City apartment.
The businessman told authorities that John Woeltz confiscated his electronic devices and passport before demanding his Bitcoin password. When he refused, Woeltz and an accomplice allegedly tortured him for over a fortnight, using methods including electric shocks, death threats with a firearm, and suspending him over the ledge of a five-story building.
These cases highlight the growing risks faced by holders of significant digital assets and the extreme measures criminals are willing to take to access cryptocurrency funds.
