Last Wednesday, a Florida man was sentenced to 47 years in prison for masterminding a domestic violence attack on his owners. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, extorting $3.5 million in a brute force and SIM swapping attack with 13 other accomplices.
Remy St. Felix, 24, was the leader of a home invasion ring that held victims at gunpoint in Delray Beach and Homestead, Florida, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The victims of St. Felix were attacked and Attached with plastic zip ties According to the authorities, before being forced to send digital assets to a wallet under the control of the criminal organization.
Felix's sentencing follows. Guilty At the end of June. He was found guilty of nine counts, including conspiracy to promote violent crimes, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud and carrying a firearm.
St. Felix faces less than seven years on the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The court ordered him to pay $524,000 in restitution, which represents the cryptocurrency and other assets stolen during the scheme.
The plane's victims were targeted across a wide range of US states, from Texas to New York and North Carolina. According to law enforcement, the pirates used decentralized finance tools to move the proceeds of their crimes through legal channels.
The robberies took place between September 2022 and July 2023. But the plan ended when St. Felix was caught with two guns and plastic zip ties on his way to New York, authorities said.
The organization's criminal activities were not limited to physical violence. When the employees were able to access victims' accounts on crypto exchanges using their phone numbers, the employees stole digital assets using a known method. SIM exchangeAccording to the legal authorities.
as if press releaseThe DOJ recalled one case in which a Florida victim was kidnapped from his home, taken 120 miles away, and beaten while he was being held hostage. In a separate robbery, the victim's family members were stranded in Texas for three hours before making off with $150,000 in cash and luxury watches.
Yarod Gabriel Simungal, a 23-year-old accomplice of St. Felix, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime. Authorities said Semigul provided the crew members with guns, rental cars and hotel rooms. The court ordered him to pay $4 million in damages.
The case was handled by the FBI's field office in Charlotte, North Carolina, while agents in New York, Miami and Houston assisted with the case, along with other members of law enforcement.
Other accomplices were sentenced to 12 to 25 years in prison. Two accomplices who pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the kidnapping plot have been booked for October 1.
Edited by Andrew Hayward.
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