The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested two men who “participated in a violent scheme to break into family homes in the middle of the night” to steal tens of millions of dollars worth of bitcoins. They could face up to 20 years in prison.
Two men are charged in a scheme to steal bitcoins
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Dominic Pineda and Shon Morgan with “planning a home invasion robbery for tens of millions of dollars in bitcoins.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested the two men in Virginia on Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams gave details.
The defendants participated in a violent scheme to break into a family’s home in the middle of the night and force its residents to provide codes believed to be tens of millions of dollars in Bitcoin currency.
According to court documents, from May 18 to May 24, 2020, the defendants participated in a scheme to “break into a home in Irvington, New York, and rob its residents of cash and cryptocurrency.”
At the time of the planned home invasion, Bitcoin was trading at approximately $10,000 per coin. BTCpeaked at an all-time high of $68,892 in November 2021. It has since dropped in value and is currently trading at $20,892
Pineda, 21, of Manassas, Virginia, and Morgan, 21, of Centerville, Virginia, were each charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
The Hobbs Act defines robbery as the unlawful taking of another’s property “by actual or threatened force.”
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