Florida man found guilty of committing home invasions for cryptocurrency theft

Remy St. Felix, a 24-year-old resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, has been found guilty by a federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, for orchestrating a series of violent home invasions with the intention of stealing victims’ cryptocurrencies.
St. Felix was charged with nine counts, including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud, and the use of a firearm to facilitate his crypto-related crimes.
The conviction of St. Felix on June 25 came after a trial that exposed his leadership role in an international plot to target American citizens for their crypto assets.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Sandra Hairstone, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, stated:
Court documents and trial evidence revealed that St. Felix and his accomplices carried out home invasions in multiple states, including North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and New York.
From December 2022 to July 2023, the criminal gang used physical violence, kidnapping, and threats to coerce their victims into accessing and transferring their crypto holdings to the perpetrators.
One notable incident took place on April 12, 2023, when St. Felix and his accomplice, Elmer Ruben Castro, forcibly entered a residence, restrained the occupants, and demanded access to their crypto accounts.
The investigation into these crimes was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Charlotte Field Office, with assistance from several other field offices and local police departments.
Despite the criminals’ attempts to conceal their activities through sophisticated money-laundering techniques and encrypted communication, investigators were able to connect the dots and apprehend the culprits.
Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch commented on the case:
In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Bing Wang, Head of Legal at BasedVC, discussed the growing prevalence of cryptocurrency-related crimes.
Wang explained that law enforcement agencies have developed methods for tracking stolen crypto and identifying the individuals responsible, thanks to the transparent nature of blockchain technology.