Per a report from the Chicago Tribune, six individuals have allegedly been involved in the abduction of a family of three, along with their nanny, in Chicago. The perpetrators then coerced the family into transferring $15 million in cryptocurrencies.
As per a recently disclosed FBI affidavit, the kidnappers posed as individuals who had accidentally damaged the family’s garage door, knocked on the door of the townhouse, and gained forced entry using firearms. The family was then reportedly compelled into a van and taken to an Airbnb an hour away, and subsequently to another residence the following day.
The abductors allegedly extorted ransom payments in Bitcoin (BTCUSD), Ether (ETHUSD), and other cryptocurrencies, threatening the victims with death. The victims were purportedly held captive for a period of five days. During this period, one of the victims managed to communicate with his father via the Chinese messaging app WeChat, informing him of their abduction.
According to the victims, they were set free on November 1st and managed to reach a nearby dry cleaner from where they called an Uber to a local hospital. Though the victims claim that cryptocurrencies worth $15 million were transferred, US officials have only traced $6 million worth to date.
On December 13th, charges were pressed against six individuals. Only Zehuan Wei, 34, was arrested while attempting to re-enter the US from Mexico on January 17th. The other suspects – Fan Zhang, Huajing Yan, Shengnan Jiang, Shiqiang Lian, and Ye Cao – are believed to have fled to China following Wei’s arrest.
Before filing charges, US officials gathered evidence which included surveillance footage from the Airbnb, examination of cryptocurrency wallets, and contents from the white Ford van used in the crime. DNA samples were also collected from a white Chrysler Pacifica vehicle rented by Wei on October 29th. US officials matched the footage with Cao’s picture from US Customs and Border Protection, while others had their state-issued driver’s licenses compared. At least two victims were able to identify some of the alleged kidnappers from a photo array.
