A man from Florida was sentenced to 47 years in prison for leading a violent robbery crew that targeted cryptocurrency. This gang committed a series of home invasions, stealing around $3.5 million in crypto. They also laundered the stolen funds. Other crew members received sentences ranging from five to 20 years.

According to the US Department of Justice, twelve men have faced sentencing for their roles in these crimes. Remy Ra St Felix, 25, from West Palm Beach, and his accomplices stole over $3.5 million by using SIM swapping and committing violent home invasions. They threatened victims with guns, assaulted them, and even restrained them with plastic ties.

The crimes began in late 2020 when St Felix’s co-conspirator, Jarod Gabriel Seemungal, 23, also from West Palm Beach, along with some foreign partners, accessed victims' accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges. They did this by taking control of the victims’ phone numbers through SIM swapping. This method exploits weaknesses in two-factor authentication, particularly when the second factor involves a text message or call to a mobile phone.

In 2022, Seemungal and his crew devised a home invasion scheme. They recruited St Felix and others to help. St Felix quickly became the leader of the robbery crew. By September 2022, they started a series of violent home invasions across Florida. During these incidents, they held victims at gunpoint, beat them, and even abducted them.

The crew forced victims to give them access to their computers and cryptocurrency accounts. They stole digital assets and laundered the money using anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance platforms that didn’t require customer verification, according to the DOJ.

The group communicated through an encrypted messaging app to plan their crimes. They identified targets, discussed how to break into homes, and talked about the tools they needed. They also analyzed the technical aspects of cryptocurrency and the daily routines of their victims.

Seemungal received a 20-year prison sentence. Other crew members have been sentenced to terms between five and 20 years. One more individual is set to be sentenced in October.