Six men have been charged in connection with a crime, which sounds like something straight out of a Hollywood thriller, after a family and their nanny were kidnapped and forced to transfer $15 million in crypto.
The garage door ruse
Per the news of the Chicago Tribune, citing unsealed FBI documents, the nightmare began with a simple knock on the family’s townhouse door.
The kidnappers pretended they had accidentally damaged the garage door, and when the door was opened, they forced their way inside with guns.
The kidnappers allegedly forced the family into a van and took them to an Airbnb about an hour away.
They spent one night there before being moved to yet another house. Apparently, these guys were serious about not being found.
Crypto ransom or else…
The kidnappers demanded ransom payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies, threatening to kill the victims if they didn’t comply. One of the victims managed to contact his father via WeChat, alerting him to the situation.
After five long days in captivity, the victims were released near a dry cleaner. They then called an Uber to take them to a local hospital.
$9 million still missing, one suspect caught, others fled to China?
While it’s claimed $15 million worth of cryptocurrencies was transferred, officials have only accounted for $6 million so far. Where’s the other $9 million?
The six suspects were charged on December 13. Only one of them, 34-year-old Zehuan Wei, was arrested while attempting to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico on January 17.
The other five men, including Fan Zhang, Huajing Yan, Shengnan Jiang, Shiqiang Lian, and Ye Cao, are believed to have fled to China after Wei’s arrest.
Before pressing charges, officials collected evidence from surveillance footage at the Airbnb, examined crypto wallets, and analyzed the contents of a white Ford van.
DNA swabs were also taken from a white Chrysler Pacifica that Wei had rented.
The FBI is still on the hunt, trying to track down the missing millions and bring the remaining suspects to justice.
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