Man steals $1.8 million worth of Ethereum from his kidnapped friend

Man kidnapped his friend and stole $1.8 million in Ether from him

If you are into mining cryptocurrency, then you may want to be careful. With the value of Bitcoinย unexpectedly increasing this month, it is likely that you may have more enemies than friends!

According to the Manhattan District Attorneyโ€™s Office on Tuesday, a New Jersey man Louis Meza, 35, has been indicted of kidnapping and stealing $1.8 million worth of ether, the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum (Bitcoin rival) network, from his friendโ€™s cryptocurrency wallet at gunpoint.

The incident took place on November 4th when Meza had a meeting with his friend at his apartment. Meza called a car service for the friend after the meeting to take him back to his place. He lured the friend into a minivan, where a gunman demanded his house keys, his mobile phone, and the 24-word passphrase to open his Ethereum cryptocurrency wallet.

Meza then allegedly went to the manโ€™s home and stole items, including a ledger and transferred $1.8 million in ether into his own account. While the gunman was collecting the man’s items, the victim was able to escape and dial 911, according toย Gizmodo.

โ€œVideo surveillance later obtained from the victimโ€™s apartment building showed Meza using the set of keys stolen from the victim to enter the victimโ€™s apartment and then leave the apartment holding a box believed to contain the victimโ€™s digital wallet. Additional records reveal that soon after obtaining the victimโ€™s digital wallet, the defendant then transferred approximately $1.8 million in Ether to his own personal account,โ€ the DA said in anย official statement.

โ€œHackers, data breaches, and fraud arenโ€™t the only threats to an individualโ€™s wealth,โ€ said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. โ€œThis case demonstrates the increasingly common intersection between cyber and violent crimeโ€”the defendant is charged with coordinating an elaborate kidnapping, armed robbery, and burglary to gain access to the victimโ€™s digital wallet and the significant funds it contained. We can expect this type of crime to become increasingly common as cryptocurrency values surge upward.โ€

Meza has been arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the First Degree, Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, Criminal Use of a Firearm in the First Degree, Computer Trespass and other offenses. However, he has denied any involvement in the case and pleaded not guilty. He has been held on a $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail. Authorities are still looking for his alleged accomplice whose identity is not publicly known.

Kavita Iyer
Kavita Iyerhttps://www.techworm.net
An individual, optimist, homemaker, foodie, a die hard cricket fan and most importantly one who believes in Being Human!!!
spot_img

Read More

Suggested Post