US Sentences 12 in $3.5 Million Cryptocurrency Heist Linked to Violent Home Break-Ins

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has sentenced 12 individuals for a series of violent home invasions that resulted in the theft of more than $3.5 million in cryptocurrency. The ringleader of the group was sentenced to 47 years in prison, while his accomplice was sentenced to 20 years. “The victims were held at gunpoint in their homes,” the DOJ said, adding that one man “was kidnapped, held hostage, and beaten before being found by law enforcement 120 miles from his home.”

Justice Department Convicts 12 Counts of Cryptocurrency Robbery Across Multiple States

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that 12 defendants have been sentenced for their roles in a series of home invasions aimed at stealing cryptocurrency.

Among them, Remy Ra St Felix, 25, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was sentenced to 47 years in prison for leading the attacks. The charges involved the theft of more than $3.5 million in digital assets. The sentences included multiple individuals responsible for planning and executing the robberies, which spanned multiple states.

According to court documents, St Felix and his co-defendants used SIM swapping to take control of the victims’ phone numbers, allowing them access to cryptocurrency accounts. After gaining control of those accounts, they broke into homes, held the victims at gunpoint, and bound them with plastic. The Justice Department detailed:

They forced the man to provide access to his computer and cryptocurrency trading account. Seemungal then remotely accessed the computer and stole over $150,000.00 in cryptocurrency.

“The conspirators laundered money through anonymous cryptocurrencies, as well as ‘instant exchanges’ and decentralized finance platforms that did not conduct customer due diligence,” the Justice Department added.

The victims, including families in Florida and Texas, were held hostage for hours, beaten and threatened. According to the Justice Department:

In Delray Beach, victims were held at gunpoint in their homes. In Homestead, a man and his family were held at gunpoint in their home, then the man was kidnapped, held hostage and beaten before he was found by law enforcement 120 miles from his home.

Seemungal, a key conspirator, also faces significant penalties. “Seemungal was also sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of probation, and ordered to pay $4,038,479.39 in restitution. Seemungal pleaded guilty on December 19, 2023, to his role in a conspiracy to steal cryptocurrency by hacking into victims’ cryptocurrency accounts and to conspiring to commit home invasion and robbery.” In total, nine co-conspirators received lengthy prison sentences for the kidnapping conspiracy, while other key players were punished for their involvement.

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