U.S. Department of Justice indicts three Tennessee men over alleged California crypto robbery spree

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DOJ indicts Tennessee crypto robbers

Highlights

A federal grand jury indicted Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker for an alleged multi-city conspiracy involving $6.5 million in stolen cryptocurrency and cash.
Defendants face up to 20 years' imprisonment and $250,000 fines per conspiracy count, with a maximum life sentence each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Crypto-related fraud losses hit a record $11.3 billion in 2023, making up over half of the $20.9 billion total internet crime tracked by the FBI.

Federal charges outline alleged multi-city attacks

According to The Block, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a Monday statement that a federal grand jury has indicted Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh and Jayden Rucker over an alleged conspiracy to kidnap and rob victims in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Los Angeles.

Prosecutors allege the men entered victims' residences by posing as delivery workers, then used firearms, duct tape and zip ties during the attacks to steal cash and cryptocurrency. In one incident, a victim was allegedly forced to provide access to cryptocurrency accounts, enabling the transfer of about $6.5 million in crypto to a wallet controlled by the conspirators.

The defendants have been indicted on conspiracy charges tied to robbery and kidnapping, according to the statement. Chindavanh first appeared in federal court in San Francisco last month, while Armstrong and Rucker made their initial appearances on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said the alleged scheme was sophisticated, brazen and violent, and accused the defendants of terrorizing victims in an effort to steal large sums of cryptocurrency.

Sentencing exposure highlights broader crypto crime risks

If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit robbery and attempted kidnapping. They also face a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, the DOJ said.

The indictment comes as crypto-linked crime remains a broader concern for U.S. authorities. Fraud losses tied to cryptocurrency reached a record $11.3 billion last year, accounting for more than half of the $20.9 billion in total internet crime losses tracked by the FBI.

Earlier this month, a California man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for his role in a nationwide social engineering conspiracy that stole more than $250 million in crypto assets, underscoring continued enforcement pressure on digital-asset crime.

In our earlier article on the Senate Banking Committee’s CLARITY Act draft, we covered Republicans’ push to advance updated market-structure text aimed at creating clearer rules for digital assets. We noted the proposal’s focus on stronger consumer protections and tighter safeguards against illicit finance as Congress debates a broader U.S. crypto regulatory framework.

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