Two brothers from Waller, Texas, have been sentenced to a combined 326 months in prison for a violent home invasion that forced a Minnesota father to turn over more than $8 million in cryptocurrency, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sentences handed down in St. Paul
Raymond Christian Garcia was sentenced to 180 months, while Isiah Angelo Garcia received 186 months on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul. That works out to 15 years and 15 and a half years, respectively. Both men pleaded guilty in June.
Family held at gunpoint for more than nine hours
According to court documents, the brothers traveled from Texas to Grant, Minnesota, and on Sept. 19, 2025, broke into the victim’s home. They zip-tied the family and held them at gunpoint for more than nine hours while demanding access to the father’s crypto accounts.
When the victim failed to transfer the amount they expected, the brothers forced him to drive one of them to the family’s cabin in upstate Minnesota to retrieve additional hardware wallets and move more funds. In total, the victim was compelled to transfer more than $8 million.
Arrest followed 911 call from victim’s son
The brothers fled after the victim’s son called 911. They were later arrested near Houston.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a statement that 「The Garcia brothers committed a brazen and calculated act of violence against the victim and his family.」 FBI official Christopher Dotson said the brothers 「violated the sanctity of a home」 in 「a brazen act of violence and greed.」
A clear example of a crypto wrench attack
The case is described as a stark example of a crypto wrench attack, in which criminals use physical force rather than hacking to seize digital assets.
Such attacks have risen alongside higher crypto prices. Chainalysis counted 46 violent incidents in the first half of 2026, with more than $30 million stolen, while CertiK put losses even higher. Recent cases cited in the report include a kidnapping in France in which workers’ children were held hostage and a home invasion in the UK that ended with prison terms for the attackers.
The sentencing adds to signs that U.S. courts are treating crypto wrench attacks as serious violent crime.
