California crypto robbery, kidnapping trio face life prison sentences after indictment

Three Tennessee men have been charged in a California federal court after they allegedly posed as delivery drivers to steal cryptocurrency. The attackers face years in federal prison for conspiracy, robbery, and kidnapping.

Prosecutors allege that the trio went after four victims between November 22 and December 31 last year. They posed as delivery drivers to force their way into homes and then allegedly restrained the victims with firearms, duct tape, and zip ties.

In one incident, a victim was forced at gunpoint to transfer approximately $6.5 million to a wallet controlled by the group.

#FBI CASE UPDATE: Three men have been indicted on robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy charges related to a $6 million cryptocurrency robbery spree throughout the Bay Area and LA. Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker – all from Tennessee- were charged on Conspiracy… pic.twitter.com/mIQQKjS3K2

— FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) May 11, 2026

Trio of crypto thieves faces jail time

Two 21-year-olds, Elijah Armstrong and Nino Chindavanh, were indicted on March 31 alongside a 25-year-old, Jayden Rucker. Charges against the three include conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted robbery, and attempted kidnapping. Each of them faces up to 20 years per robbery and kidnapping count, and a possible life sentence for the kidnapping conspiracy charge.

U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian referred to the scheme as “brazen, violent, and dangerous.” 

Cryptopolitan previously reported an unrelated but similar case, in which Marlon Ferro, a 20-year-old Californian known as “GothFerrari,” received 78 months (roughly 6.5 years) in federal prison on May 7 for breaking into homes to steal hardware wallets as part of a $250 million scheme led by Singaporean national Malone Lam. Ferro was also ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution.

Weeks earlier, Evan Tangeman, 22, of Newport Beach, California, was sentenced to 70 months for laundering at least $3.5 million from a $263 million crypto theft operation.

There’s a spike in violent attacks to steal crypto

The cryptocurrency industry is experiencing a sharp increase in wrench attacks, where criminals use physical force rather than hacking to steal digital assets. The term comes from the joke that no encryption survives a “$5 wrench” applied to a person.

Blockchain security firm CertiK documented 34 verified physical attacks on crypto holders in the first four months of 2026 alone. This represents a 41% rise since the same time period last year. The losses from these attacks are estimated to reach $101 million, according to Cryptopolitan. CertiK projects that roughly 130 such incidents will occur by year’s end at this rate.

82% of all recorded attacks occurred in Europe, a significant increase from 39.5% in all of 2025. France alone logged 24 incidents in four months.

In France, attackers buy names and addresses from online brokers rather than physically tracking victims. They also work in organized groups that can involve family members of the victim. French authorities indicted 88 suspects in late April, including more than ten minors. More than half of the French incidents involved a relative of the main target.

All three defendants in the Armstrong, Chindavanh, and Rucker case are currently being held in federal custody. Armstrong and Rucker are scheduled to appear on May 12, 2026, for the appointment of counsel. Chindavanh’s next hearing is June 26, 2026.

The case was investigated by the FBI, San Francisco Police, San Jose Police, Sunnyvale Police, and Los Angeles Police Department.