The wife of The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sébastien Borget escaped an attempted kidnapping on Tuesday outside the couple’s home in Villenoy, in France’s Seine-et-Marne area. A suspect dressed as a delivery worker rang the bell, and once the door was opened, five masked accomplices rushed in and tried to force her into a waiting vehicle.
The attack appears to have unfolded in less than two minutes. Reports said no words were exchanged during the assault, with the victim’s screams drawing attention from nearby residents. Neighbors shouted after hearing the commotion, and some looked out from their windows. The group then abandoned the attempt and fled. Borget’s wife was not physically injured.
Police arrested two suspects aged 15 and 16
French police later detained two suspects in the surrounding area. Officers reportedly found a replica handgun, plastic zip ties, and masks on them. The two were born in 2009 and 2010, making them 16 and 15 years old.
The items recovered point to preparation rather than a spontaneous act. Zip ties could be used to restrain a victim, masks to conceal identities, and the imitation firearm to intimidate. Investigators said the assault is believed to be linked to cryptocurrency. Four other accomplices remain at large.
Borget, 40, is the co-founder and chief operating officer of The Sandbox, a metaverse platform where users create and trade digital assets using NFTs and the SAND token. His identity has long been public within the crypto sector.
France has logged 41 crypto-linked kidnappings or illegal detentions this year
The case fits into a broader pattern. According to data from France’s national judicial police directorate, the country has recorded 41 cases of crypto-related kidnapping or unlawful detention since January 1, 2026. That works out to one case every 2.5 days. Authorities have charged 88 people.
The report also cited earlier incidents from this year. In one case, a French crypto entrepreneur received a video showing his father’s severed finger, with kidnappers demanding several million euros. All seven suspects in that case were in their twenties. In February, a mother and daughter were taken hostage at home and were only freed after a passerby intervened. In April, another mother and her 10-year-old son were abducted for 20 hours, while the father was extorted for hundreds of thousands of euros in cryptocurrency.
Attackers are increasingly targeting family members
According to the report, these crimes often follow the same sequence: suspects identify targets through leaked exchange KYC records, confirm home addresses and relatives through public records, and then go after family members rather than the actual holder of the assets. Wives, mothers, and children have repeatedly been singled out.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has said a new round of countermeasures is being prepared. The attempted abduction tied to Borget’s family adds to a growing list of physical security threats facing people known to hold or work around crypto wealth.