Three Tennessee men were federally indicted this week in what prosecutors are calling a “brazen” and violent cryptocurrency theft operation that targeted victims across California.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh and Jayden Rucker traveled from Tennessee to California, posing as delivery workers to enter homes in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege the suspects used firearms, duct tape and zip ties to restrain and assault victims, forcing them to disclose wallet credentials and transfer funds.
The indictment highlights several high-value takedowns. In one November incident in San Francisco’s Mission Dolores neighborhood, a victim expecting a package was allegedly confronted by an intruder with a white box, bound with duct tape, pistol-whipped and threatened before being compelled to transfer roughly $10 million in Bitcoin and $3 million in Ethereum. In another case, prosecutors say a different victim was robbed of about $6.5 million in crypto at gunpoint.
Arrests were made late last year: Armstrong and Rucker in Los Angeles on December 31, 2025, and Chindavanh in Sunnyvale on December 22, 2025. The defendants face federal robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy charges that carry severe penalties — from up to 20 years on robbery and attempted kidnapping counts to life imprisonment for a conspiracy-to-commit-kidnapping conviction. The indictment also cites fines of $250,000 for each count of Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery and Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping.
U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian condemned the alleged plot as “sophisticated, brazen, violent, and dangerous,” saying the defendants “terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency.” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo described the case as a “calculated scheme,” adding the indictments demonstrate the agency’s “unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from violent and organized criminal activity.”
The Tennessee indictments come amid a broader rise in so-called “wrench attacks,” where criminals use physical force or threats to coerce victims into making irrevocable blockchain transfers. Cybersecurity firm CertiK reports 72 verified wrench-attack incidents globally in 2025 — a 75% jump from the prior year — and notes that perpetrators increasingly conduct detailed surveillance of high-net-worth crypto holders before striking.
Law enforcement worldwide has stepped up enforcement. France, for example, has charged 88 people in connection with a wave of crypto kidnappings that included high-profile, brutal incidents such as the abduction and mutilation of Ledger co-founder David Balland, a foiled home invasion targeting Binance France’s CEO, and the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother to extort crypto ransom.
As these violent thefts highlight the real-world risks of holding significant on-chain assets, investigators say coordinated law enforcement action will continue to be a priority for protecting crypto investors and communities.
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