Texas Brothers pleaded guilty to $8 million worth of armed cryptocurrency kidnapping

Two Texas brothers have pleaded guilty to stealing more than $8 million in cryptocurrency from a family in Minnesota, after holding them at gunpoint in their home for hours.

Isiah Angelo Garcia, 25, and Raymond Christian Garcia, 24, both of Waller, Texas, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of interference with commerce by theft, Reuters reported. statement Issued by the Ministry of Justice. They filed their pleas before US District Judge Anne Montgomery in Minneapolis.

Prosecutors said the brothers traveled from Texas to Minnesota specifically to carry out the scheme. On the morning of September 19, 2025, they kidnapped a man and his family at gunpoint inside their home in Grant, a small city outside Minneapolis, demanded access to his cryptocurrency accounts, tied up the family, and held them captive for more than eight hours.

At some point, Isiah Garcia forced the man to travel to the family’s cabin in northern Minnesota to retrieve additional cryptocurrency storage devices and move the money, according to court documents. In all, the brothers forced him to transfer more than $8 million.

The family member was able to call 911, and the brothers escaped. Investigators used items they left behind at the home to identify them, then tracked them to the Houston area, where they were arrested. They both admitted to using firearms to threaten the family.

“No one should feel unsafe in their home,” said Christopher Dotson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Minneapolis, vowing to rigorously investigate such “violence and greed.” US Attorney Daniel Rosen said the pleas reflect a commitment to holding the brothers accountable for the choices they made.

They each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and the two agreed to pay more than $8 million in restitution. Judgment dates have not been set.

It was brothers He was first charged in Septemberdays after the attack rocked the Grant community and prompted a local high school to cancel its homecoming football game while police hunted for the suspects.

Cryptocurrency “spam attacks” are on the rise

The case falls within a rapidly growing wave of so-called “key attacks,” where cryptocurrency holders are forced to hand over their assets using physical force or the threat of violence. Such attacks have multiplied around the world.

Last year, Remy Saint-Felix received an A 47 years imprisonment After he was convicted by a federal jury in North Carolina for leading a violent raid on cryptocurrency houses, the longest sentence in any cryptocurrency case in the United States. In May, there were three men from Tennessee accused Regarding a “brazen” spree in California that allegedly netted her $6.5 million at gunpoint.

France has become a particular hotspot, with prosecutors 88 people were charged, including minorsthrough dozens of investigations into kidnappings whose victims included Ledger co-founder David Baland, who was Kidnapping and mutilation Before the police released him. Security experts say the reported cases are likely an undercount, and have urged their owners to keep their wealth out of public view.