SAN FRANCISCO, California — A federal grand jury has indicted three Tennessee residents for their alleged involvement in a violent robbery spree targeting cryptocurrency owners.
Elijah Armstrong, 21, Nino Chindavanh, 21, and Jayden Rucker, 25, all of Tennessee, face charges of Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, and Attempted Kidnapping, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office. The trio allegedly conspired to kidnap and rob individuals in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles, posing as delivery persons to gain access to victims’ residences. They reportedly used firearms, duct tape, and zip ties to assault victims, forcing one at gunpoint to transfer approximately $6.5 million in cryptocurrency to a wallet controlled by the co-conspirators.
“These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian…