Crypto robbery charges against two brothers advanced after they admitted to kidnapping a Minnesota family at gunpoint and taking $8 million in digital assets. The case stems from an attack in September 2025.
Isiah Angelo Garcia and Raymond Christian Garcia pleaded guilty to Interference with Commerce by Robbery. The pleas are announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. Defendants can be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison each.
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Brothers Agree to $8M Restitution After Guilty Pleas
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said the guilty pleas reflected a commitment to hold the defendants accountable. Both brothers also agreed to paying over $8 million in restitution. The court has not announced when the sentencing hearings will take place.
The brothers came to Minnesota from Texas on Sept. 19, 2025, prosecutors said. They confronted the victim, his wife, and their son with firearms. The crypto heist then shifted to accessing online accounts and hardware wallets.
The victim’s wife and son were held inside the family home for about nine hours. The victim was transported to a family cabin about a three-hour drive away, prosecutors said. Authorities said the victim was forced to transfer nearly $8 million in cryptocurrency.
Washington County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call for help from the victim’s son. Later, a rifle and a shotgun were discovered by deputies. The brothers also were linked to the crypto robbery through surveillance footage and other evidence, prosecutors said.
Crypto Robbery Risks Rise as Attacks Target Asset Holders
Both men admitted in their plea to threatening the family with firearms. The case did not specify a timetable for a public sentencing. The case for the crypto robbery now goes to restitution and sentencing.
The case comes as there have been reports of escalating physical attacks on owners of digital assets. According to the CertiK report in February, crypto attacks and kidnappings are rising 75% in 2025 compared to the previous year. It estimated losses from such incidents amounted to $101 million in the first four months of 2026.
In May, U.S. authorities announced an indictment against three men allegedly involved in a separate spree of crypto robberies. They allegedly took at least $6.5 million from cryptocurrency owners. The indictment stated the men pretended to be delivery drivers before they went into homes and used violence.
French authorities have also warned of dangers in crypto robbery. In April, at Paris Blockchain Week, Jean-Didier Berger, France’s minister delegate to the minister of the interior, stated that his office had taken preventive measures. He noted that the government had launched a prevention platform that had attracted thousands of registrations.
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