Florida Teens Charged with Kidnapping and Stealing $4 Million in Crypto and NFTs
Three teenagers from Florida are facing serious charges of kidnapping, robbery, and extortion after allegedly abducting a man at gunpoint and stealing $4 million worth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The incident took place in November when the victim, who had just hosted a crypto event in Downtown Las Vegas, was ambushed by the teens and taken to a remote desert area near White Hills, Arizona. There, he was threatened with his life and forced to provide access to his crypto accounts under the threat of harm to himself and his family.
After draining the victim’s accounts, the teens left him stranded in the desert, forcing him to walk five miles to a gas station to seek help. Two of the suspects, both 16 years old, are currently facing trial as adults, with one held on $4 million bail and the other placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. A third teen has fled the country and is still at large.
Authorities believe that a fourth person may have been involved in orchestrating the attack remotely, as the victim overheard a phone call during the ordeal. The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in the investigation, and a preliminary hearing for the two teens in custody is scheduled for June.
This incident is part of a concerning trend of violent crimes targeting crypto holders. Earlier this year, Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped from his home in France, with the abductors demanding a cryptocurrency ransom. Malaysian authorities also arrested individuals involved in a crypto ransom kidnapping in Cyberjaya.
According to data compiled by Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp, there have been 21 reported offline crypto robberies in 2025, highlighting the growing risks faced by cryptocurrency investors.