Six Men Charged for Kidnapping Family and Nanny to Steal $15 Million in Crypto

Six males are going through costs after allegedly kidnapping three members of the family and a nanny from a Chicago townhouse in October 2024, forcing them to switch $15 million price of cryptocurrency earlier than releasing them days later close to a dry cleaner, in accordance with not too long ago unsealed courtroom information.

As reported by Chicago Tribune, surprising five-day kidnapping is printed in a 44-page FBI affidavit, which was made public final week. The FBI’s investigation gathered proof from numerous sources, together with receipts, unused zip ties, and surveillance footage from rental vehicles, a suburban Airbnb, and fast-food eating places. The information additionally detailed using cryptocurrency wallets that have been accessed through the crime.

The incident started when one of many suspects, claiming to have broken the victims’ storage door, knocked on their townhouse door. As quickly because the door opened, armed males stormed the home and seized the victims. The victims have been then transported to an Airbnb rental, the place the abductors demanded cryptocurrency transfers underneath the specter of violence.

Regardless of being threatened and, in a single occasion, struck with a firearm, the victims have been handled comparatively effectively throughout their captivity, receiving meals from fast-food eating places. After 5 days, they have been launched close to a dry cleaner, the place they managed to rearrange for an Uber to take them to a hospital.

Authorities shortly launched an investigation, resulting in the arrest of 1 suspect, Zehuan Wei, in January 2025. Nonetheless, different suspects are believed to have fled to China, and as of now, $9 million of the stolen cryptocurrency stays unaccounted for. The FBI continues to trace the funds and coordinate with worldwide regulation enforcement to apprehend the remaining suspects.