Three US Men Accused of Plotting Kidnapping to Transfer Stolen Bitcoin, Facing Up to 20 Years in Prison

BlockBeats News, August 9, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced that three men from St. Louis, Sedric Louis, John Davis, and Martel Williams, have been charged with conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery, allegedly plotting a home invasion to force the victims to transfer cryptocurrency related to a multibillion-dollar Bitcoin theft. Each of the three men faces up to 20 years in prison.

The prosecution alleges that from August 21 to 24, 2024, the three men traveled to Connecticut, rented a car, and prepared items such as airsoft guns and walkie-talkies. They surveilled the target and the target's parents for two consecutive days, but abandoned the operation out of concern that home security cameras were tracking their movements. Subsequently, another group from Florida executed the same plan and was arrested on August 25 for a carjacking involving a Lamborghini Urus with six individuals.

Louis and Davis have been in custody since their arrest on June 25 and pleaded not guilty on July 30 in federal court in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Williams, after making the same plea on July 17, was released on bail. The prosecution stated that the kidnap targets were the parents of individuals involved in the multibillion-dollar Bitcoin theft and emphasized that the indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt.