Editor | Wu talks about blockchain
Between September 2022 and July 2023, a gang led by 24-year-old West Palm Beach, Florida man San Felix targeted cryptocurrency holders in multiple states. The robberies occurred in Durham, North Carolina, as well as Florida, Texas, and New York, and included burglary, kidnapping residents and forcing them to transfer their cryptocurrency holdings. In one case, San Felix and an accomplice beat a victim in the victim's home, tied them up with cable ties, and threatened violence against the victim and his spouse, resulting in the victim's more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency being robbed. The man currently faces at least seven years in prison and may be sentenced to life imprisonment.
U.S. Department of Justice original link:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-convicted-violent-home-invasion-robberies-steal-cryptocurrency
Full translation:
A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, today convicted a Florida man for his leading role in an international conspiracy that involved 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, Remy St Felix, 24, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was the leader of a group that carried out violent home invasions targeting cryptocurrency holders. Between September 2022 and July 2023, St Felix helped plan and organize a series of robberies in Durham, North Carolina, Florida, Texas and New York. The victims of the home invasions were kidnapped in their homes and forced to access and empty their cryptocurrency accounts.
“St. Felix and his co-conspirators carried out brutal home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies targeting victims across the United States in order to steal cryptocurrency,” said Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “While members of this violent conspiracy attempted to cover their tracks through encrypted communications and anonymous financial transactions, they were unable to evade our dedicated investigators and prosecutors. Today’s jury verdict – the latest of more than a dozen convictions in this case – should serve as another reminder that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent offenders to justice, no matter how sophisticated their crimes.”
"The victims in this case endured a horrific and traumatic experience that no citizen should have to endure," said Sandra J. Hairston, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. "The defendant and his co-conspirators acted in a callous and intimidating manner toward their targets out of pure greed. The jury's verdict in this case represents an important step toward achieving justice for these victims."
According to evidence at trial, in April 2023, St. Felix and a co-conspirator forced their way into the home of a victim. There, St. Felix and his co-conspirator assaulted the victim, bound the victim with zip ties, and held the victim at gunpoint while threatening additional violence against the victim and his spouse, while other co-conspirators transferred more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency from the victim's account.
Evidence introduced at trial showed that St. Felix and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to targets’ email accounts and conducted physical surveillance prior to committing home invasions. They laundered funds through anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies such as Monero, “instant exchanges,” and decentralized finance platforms that do not identify their customers. St. Felix and his co-conspirators in the United States and abroad used encrypted messaging applications to communicate information about targets and money laundering activities.
“The FBI and its partners will not tolerate violent acts committed to steal cryptocurrency, as Remi St. Felix did," said Timothy Langan, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Division. “We are proud of the work we have done to result in today’s conviction, which should serve as a warning to others who are tempted to engage in similar activity that we will not stop until you pay the price for your actions.”
“The crimes committed by this violent group of cryptocurrency thieves are shocking. They held their victims hostage in their homes and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from their cryptocurrency accounts,” said Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “This investigation is an excellent example of what a local FBI field office can accomplish. We hope that the tireless work of the Criminal and Cyber Teams will bring some sense of justice to the victims terrorized by this group.”
St. Felix was arrested by the FBI while on his way to New York to commit home invasion robberies in July 2023. Thirteen of St. Felix’s co-conspirators, including members of his home invasion gang, were also arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.
A jury convicted St. Felix of nine counts, including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud and use of a firearm in a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made by Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina, and Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office.
The FBI’s Charlotte Field Office investigated this case, with valuable assistance from the Durham Police Department and the FBI’s New York, Miami, Houston, Mobile, and Newark Field Offices. The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) is prosecuting this case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Iverson for the Middle District of North Carolina and CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney Brian Mund are prosecuting this case.
