Bitcoin Heist: Household Members Waterboarded, Sexually Assaulted as Attackers Steal $1.6 Million – Decrypt

A sentencing determination within the Provincial Courtroom of British Columbia this month revealed the graphic particulars of a 2024 assault through which the victims have been sure, waterboarded, and sexually assaulted—all in an effort to steal the household’s Bitcoin holdings.

The “wrench assault,” or bodily assault through which an assailant makes an attempt to achieve entry to a sufferer’s cryptocurrency, passed off on April 27-28, 2024. 

In the course of the residence invasion, 4 males unlawfully entered the victims’ residence, first gaining entry when two of the lads dressed as Canadian Submit staff sought a signature for a pretend package deal.

After getting into the house, the lads then closed the door behind them, and have been later joined by two others. As soon as inside, the victims—a husband, spouse, and daughter—have been restrained with zip ties. 

They have been then threatened and overwhelmed because the assailants sought to achieve entry to the daddy’s cryptocurrency. As they tried to entry his funds, they compelled the daughter to take away her garments, exposing her genitalia as they recorded a number of movies. She was instructed to say express phrases, and was bodily assaulted by one of many crew. 

The lads additionally waterboarded the husband and spouse, and threatened to chop off the husband’s genitals if he didn’t present them with the entry to his funds.

The person had reportedly boasted about his success with crypto investments inside the Chinese language neighborhood of British Columbia main the crew to initially search 200 Bitcoin—at the moment valued at round $17.8 million—throughout their assault. Later, they lowered their demand to 100 BTC, however finally made away with a lot much less, almost draining the crypto accounts of the victims and making off with round $1.6 million in whole.

After being tied up and wrapped in a blanket, ultimately the daughter heard a door shut and partially freed herself earlier than fleeing the residence and calling 911. 

In Might of this yr, one of many 4 crew members, Tsz Wing Boaz Chan, pleaded responsible to breaking and getting into, unlawfully confining the victims, and sexual assault. This month, Chan was sentenced to seven years in jail for his position within the crime.

Wrench assaults are on the rise this yr, almost doubling final yr’s mark in line with a recorded depend by Jameson Lopp, the co-founder and chief safety officer at self-custody crypto pockets platform, Casa. 

Lopp’s database, which extends again to 2014, now counts 60 documented incidents in 2025 alone. 

This weekend, a person posing as a supply driver robbed a San Francisco residence proprietor of $11 million price of crypto. And on Sunday, a Chinese language sufferer had $10,000 stolen after an alleged kidnapping and theft in Thailand.

Earlier this yr, the high-profile kidnapping and wrench assault of Ledger co-founder David Balland and his spouse left the crypto entrepreneur with a severed finger.