France detains teenagers as The Sandbox co-founder’s wife escapes kidnap attempt

The wife of Sebastien Borget, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Sandbox, was nearly kidnapped at their home in Villenoy, Seine-et-Marne.

Neighbors reportedly intervened in the incident, causing the perpetrators to flee. Two of the suspects were arrested while the other four remain at large.

The Sandbox co-founder’s wife was almost kidnapped

French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, which broke the story, reported that the attack began around 8:30 p.m. on May 20. A man posing as a delivery worker approached the property carrying a cardboard box and wearing a branded vest.

When Borget’s wife opened the front gate, five masked accomplices charged into the courtyard and tried to force her into a Citroën C3 parked nearby.

Neighbors who heard her screaming confronted the attackers, forcing the entire group to abandon the attempt and flee. Borget’s wife was luckily not injured during the incident.

Four of the six suspects drove away in the vehicle while the remaining two ran from the scene on foot and hid until they could call a ride-hail car. Officers from the Meaux Anti-Crime Brigade pulled over that vehicle a short time later.

The two detained suspects, identified as Mateo V., born 2010, and Walid H., born 2009, both from Pantin in Seine-Saint-Denis, were carrying a bag with a replica handgun, plastic zip-tie restraints, and balaclavas.

Cryptopolitan reported previously that French police have observed a pattern of many perpetrators being minors or young adults recruited through messaging apps and paid small sums to carry out the physical attacks.

France’s central security directorate has taken over the investigation. Early findings suggest the attempt was connected to cryptocurrency holdings.

Why was Sebastien Borget’s wife targeted? 

Borget, 40, co-founded The Sandbox, a blockchain-based virtual world on Ethereum where users create and trade gaming experiences through NFTs and the SAND token. He is also president of the Blockchain Game Alliance, a position he has held since 2020, and has been named among the most influential figures in crypto. Before The Sandbox, Borget co-founded game studio Pixowl, which Animoca Brands acquired in 2018.

As of May 21, the SAND token was trading at a value of $0.072 with a market capitalization of roughly $193 million.

French authorities have struggled to contain the growing kidnapping crisis in the nation. 41 crypto-linked kidnappings or attempted abductions have occurred in France since January 1, 2026. Since 2023, authorities have dealt with 135 such incidents across the country, accounting for close to 80% of all European cases.

In April 2026, masked intruders forced a French family with crypto ties to hand over approximately $820,000 in digital assets at gunpoint. That same month, 88 people were charged by French prosecutors after investigations into crypto kidnappings and home invasions.

Cryptopolitan previously reported that the daughter of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat and the head of Binance’s French operations were also targets of such attacks.

During Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Minister Delegate Jean-Didier Berger announced new preventive measures to address the wave of attacks, including a dedicated prevention platform.