Edit | Wu Shuo Blockchain

During the period from September 2022 to July 2023, a group led by 24-year-old Felix from West Palm Beach, Florida, targeted cryptocurrency holders in multiple states. These robberies occurred in Durham, North Carolina, as well as in Florida, Texas, and New York, involving home invasions, kidnapping residents, and forcing them to transfer their cryptocurrency holdings. In one case, 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 is currently facing at least seven years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

US Department of Justice original link:

Full translation:

A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, today found a Florida man guilty of leading a 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 during the trial, 24-year-old Remy St Felix from West Palm Beach, Florida, is the leader of a gang that carries out violent home invasions targeting cryptocurrency holders. From September 2022 to July 2023, St Felix helped plan and organize a series of robberies in Durham, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and New York. The victims of these home invasions were kidnapped in their own homes and forced to access and empty their cryptocurrency accounts.

"St. Felix and his accomplices carried out brutal home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies against victims across the United States in order to steal cryptocurrency," said Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. "Although members of this violent conspiracy attempted to cover their tracks through encrypted communications and anonymous financial transactions, they could not evade the dedicated investigators and prosecutors who pursued them. Today's jury verdict - the latest in more than a dozen convictions in this case - should once again remind everyone that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent criminals to justice, no matter how sophisticated their crimes."

"The victims in this case have experienced a terrible and painful ordeal, which no citizen should endure," said Sandra J. Hairston, a U.S. attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina. "The defendants and their conspirators acted purely out of greed, ruthlessly intimidating their targets. The jury's verdict in this case represents an important step in seeking justice for these victims."

According to trial evidence, in April 2023, San Felix and an accomplice forcibly broke into the home of one of the victims. There, St. Felix and his co-conspirators assaulted the victim, chained the victim and pointed a gun at the victim while threatening more long violence against the victim and his spouse, while the other conspirators diverted more than $150,000 in Crypto Assets from the victim's account.

The evidence introduced in the trial showed that St. Felix and his accomplices had unauthorized access to the target's email accounts and conducted physical surveillance before committing the burglary. They Money Laundering through anonymity-enhanced Crypto Assets such as Monero, "instant exchanges," and DeFi financial platforms that do not identify customers. San Felix and his co-conspirators in the United States and abroad used encryption messaging apps to exchange information about targets and Money Laundering activities.

"The FBI and its partners will not tolerate violent acts committed to steal cryptocurrency, like Remy Saint Felix did," said Timothy Langan, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. "We are proud of the work done for today's conviction, which should serve as a warning to others considering similar activities that we will not stop until you pay the price for your actions."

"The crimes committed by this violent cryptocurrency theft gang are shocking. They held the victims captive in their own homes and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from their cryptocurrency accounts," said Robert M. Dewitt, head of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. "This investigation is an outstanding example of what a local FBI field office can accomplish. We hope the relentless efforts of the criminal and cyber squads can bring some sense of justice to the victims intimidated by this gang."

In July 2023, Saint Felix was arrested by the FBI on his way to New York to commit a home invasion. Thirteen of Saint Felix's accomplices, including members of his home invasion gang, were also arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.

The jury found Saint Felix guilty of nine charges, including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, telecommunications fraud, and using firearms in violent crimes. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11th, facing a mandatory sentence of at least seven years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Nicole M. Argentieri, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division of the Ministry of Justice, Sandra J. Hairston, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, and Robert M. Dewitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the news.

The FBI's Charlotte Field Office investigated the case and received valuable assistance from the Durham Police Department and the FBI's New York, Miami, Houston, Mobile, and Newark field offices. 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. Attorney Eric Everson and CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney Brian Mund are prosecuting the case in the Middle District of North Carolina.