{"id":72669,"date":"2026-05-18T02:11:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/crypto-owners-forced-at-gunpoint-to-unlock-accounts-in-6-5m-robbery-spree\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T02:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:11:47","slug":"crypto-owners-forced-at-gunpoint-to-unlock-accounts-in-6-5m-robbery-spree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/crypto-owners-forced-at-gunpoint-to-unlock-accounts-in-6-5m-robbery-spree\/","title":{"rendered":"Crypto Owners Forced at Gunpoint to Unlock Accounts in $6.5M Robbery Spree"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Authorities alleged attackers used delivery disguises to gain entry into victims\u2019 homes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Prosecutors said a victim transferred approximately $6.5 million during a gunpoint robbery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Federal charges include robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy counts carrying severe penalties.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Delivery Disguises and Gunpoint <span>Crypto<\/span> Transfers Detailed<\/h2>\n<p>A federal grand jury indicted Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker on robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy charges tied to a violent robbery spree targeting <span>cryptocurrency<\/span> owners. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) described the case as \u201ca violent robbery spree targeting <span>cryptocurrency<\/span> owners\u201d in a press release on May 11.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors alleged the men traveled from Tennessee to California to target victims in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles. They allegedly posed as pizza, package, and coffee delivery workers to persuade victims to open their doors before forcing entry into the residences. Authorities said the attackers carried firearms and used duct tape and zip ties to restrain victims during the robberies. The DOJ stated:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIn one of the incidents perpetrated by the conspiracy, the victim was forced at gunpoint to sign into his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a> accounts so that a co-conspirator could transfer approximately $6.5 million from his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a> accounts to a wallet controlled by the co-conspirators.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The indictment alleged the group carried out coordinated home-invasion robberies and attempted robberies across multiple California cities. Prosecutors said victims were assaulted, restrained, and threatened inside their homes during the attacks.<\/p>\n<h2>Charges Carry Potential Life Sentence in Federal Court<\/h2>\n<p>Chindavanh was arrested in Sunnyvale on Dec. 22, 2025, while Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2025. Chindavanh appeared in federal court in San Francisco on April 14, 2026. Armstrong and Rucker appeared there on May 11 and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson on May 12 for appointment of counsel. Chindavanh is scheduled for a status hearing on June 26 before U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment charges the men with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and attempted kidnapping. The Hobbs Act and attempted kidnapping counts each carry up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The kidnapping conspiracy count carries up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.<\/p>\n<p>United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThese individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a>. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Prosecutors alleged the group carried out coordinated home-invasion robberies across multiple California cities by disguising themselves as delivery workers before forcing victims to unlock <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cryptocurrency<\/a> accounts at gunpoint. An indictment is an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/crypto-owners-forced-at-gunpoint-to-unlock-accounts-in-6-5m-robbery-spree\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Authorities alleged attackers used delivery disguises to gain entry into victims\u2019 homes. Prosecutors said a victim transferred approximately $6.5 million during a gunpoint robbery. Federal charges include robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy counts carrying severe penalties. Delivery Disguises and Gunpoint Crypto Transfers Detailed A federal grand jury [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":72670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}