Two brothers from Texas have pleaded guilty to federal robbery charges after U.S. prosecutors said they kidnapped a Minnesota family and forced the transfer of more than $8 million in cryptocurrency.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Isiah Angelo Garcia and Raymond Christian Garcia entered guilty pleas on Thursday to interference with commerce by robbery. The federal charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said the pleas hold the defendants accountable for their conduct during the armed robbery.
Victims were threatened with firearms for hours
Federal prosecutors, citing court filings, said the brothers traveled from Texas to Minnesota on Sept. 19, 2025 to carry out the attack. Authorities said the victim, his wife, and their son were confronted at gunpoint and forced into an extended ordeal aimed at gaining access to the family’s crypto holdings.
Prosecutors said the victim’s wife and son were held inside the family home for about nine hours. The victim was taken to a family cabin roughly three hours away, where he was allegedly forced to transfer around $8 million in cryptocurrency from online accounts and hardware wallets. The case began to break open after the victim’s son managed to place an emergency call. Washington County sheriff’s deputies responded and later recovered a rifle and a shotgun. Investigators also used surveillance footage and other evidence that prosecutors said tied the brothers to the crime.
In their plea agreements, both men admitted firearms were used to threaten the victims during the robbery. Federal prosecutors also said the defendants agreed to pay more than $8 million in restitution. Sentencing dates have not been announced.
Crypto-related kidnappings are rising across countries
The case comes as physical attacks on cryptocurrency holders are being reported in more jurisdictions. Security firm CertiK said in February that crypto-related kidnappings and assaults in 2025 rose 75% from the year before. The firm estimated losses from such attacks reached $101 million in the first four months of 2026 alone.
Earlier this month, crypto.news reported another guilty plea in a crypto kidnapping case. Saif Faiq admitted to a federal conspiracy charge in Connecticut. The U.S. Department of Justice said prosecutors accused Faiq and his brother, Adam Iza, of organizing a plot to abduct the parents of a crypto millionaire tied to the theft of about 4,100 Bitcoin.
France has also seen recent incidents involving well-known figures in the digital asset sector. In May, the wife of The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget survived an attempted kidnapping at the couple’s home in Villenoy, France. Local authorities said suspects posing as delivery workers entered the property and tried to force her into a vehicle before neighbors intervened.
French authorities have started rolling out preventive measures. Speaking at Paris Blockchain Week in April, Jean-Didier Berger, France’s Minister Delegate to the Interior Minister, said a government prevention platform had already drawn thousands of sign-ups. Officials had counted 41 cryptocurrency-linked kidnapping cases in France during the first four months of 2026, or an average of one every 2.5 days.