A Chinese family in Chicago was kidnapped and demanded to pay $15 million in cryptocurrency

2025-02-13 14:09:13

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ChainCatcher news, according to the Chicago Tribune, six men have been charged with allegedly kidnapping a family of three and a nanny in Chicago and forcing them to transfer $15 million worth of cryptocurrency.

Recently decrypted FBI testimony reveals that the kidnappers pretended to accidentally damage the garage door, knocked on the door of the family's townhouse, and then forcibly entered the home at gunpoint. The kidnappers reportedly demanded ransom in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The victims were held for a total of five days, during which one of the victims called his father via the Chinese messaging app WeChat to inform him of the kidnapping.

The six suspects were charged on December 13. Only one of them has been arrested, 34-year-old Wei Zehuan (phonetic), who was apprehended on January 17 while attempting to re-enter the United States from Mexico.

The other five suspects include Zhang Fan, Yan Huajing, Jiang Shengnan, Lian Shiqiang, and Cao Ye (phonetic), and it is believed that some of them fled to China after Wei's arrest.

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