Two brothers from Texas have been arrested after a Minnesota family was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to transfer $8 million in cryptocurrency.
Authorities said the ordeal lasted nine hours before law enforcement intervened and the suspects fled the state.
Kidnappers hold the family at gunpoint
Prosecutors identified the men as Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24. The brothers are from Waller, Texas. Officials said they traveled to Minnesota and carried out the crime.
The brothers confronted the father of a family outside his home in Grant, Minnesota. He was taking out the trash when the criminals appeared with an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun. They zip-tied his hands and forced him back inside.
Inside the home, the suspects woke the man’s wife and adult son. Both were tied up and held at gunpoint. Prosecutors say that Raymond kept watch over them while Isiah focused on transferring cryptocurrency from the father’s accounts.
Investigators say the brothers demanded access to digital wallets and forced large transfers into their own accounts. They also made repeated phone calls to an unidentified third person who appeared to guide the operation. The victim told them more funds were stored on a hardware wallet at a family cabin nearly three hours away.
Isiah then drove the father to the cabin while carrying the shotgun. There, the victim was forced to move the remaining funds. During this time, Raymond stayed in the family home, holding the wife and son hostage with the rifle. Prosecutors estimate the suspects stole a total of $8 million in cryptocurrency.
A criminal flees after seeing the policemen
After hours, the son managed to call 911 when Raymond stepped outside the house. The police arrived within minutes, and they found the wife and son restrained inside the house. They saw Raymond fleeing out the back door.
The police found a suitcase hidden in a tree line after searching the area. They found a disassembled AR-15 rifle, ammunition, clothes, and drinks.
At the same time, Isiah was driving back with the father. Several emergency vehicles passed them on the road unknowingly. Isiah later abandoned the shotgun near a middle school parking lot. The situation forced the school to cancel its homecoming football game for safety.
Authorities connected the brothers to the crime using receipts and surveillance. A Wendy’s receipt from the suitcase showed that Isiah had rented a car in Houston days earlier. Surveillance footage confirmed Raymond had rented a Motel 6 room in Roseville, Minnesota, before the attack.
The car used in the kidnapping was later tracked on traffic cameras. It was seen in Oklahoma before returning to Texas a day later.
Authorities arrest the brothers
Law enforcement arrested the brothers in Waller, Texas. Officials say Isiah confessed after being taken into custody. He admitted that he and his brother traveled to Minnesota, tied up the family, and forced the crypto transfers.
County prosecutors filed state charges, including kidnapping with a firearm, aggravated robbery, and burglary. Moreover, federal prosecutors filed additional kidnapping charges. Both brothers are awaiting their first federal court appearance, and prosecutors will seek detention until trial.
Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are still trying to identify the third person who allegedly guided the transfers by phone.
Disclaimer: The story “Two brothers kidnapped a Minnesota family at gunpoint and stole $8 million in cryptocurrency” first appeared on Cryptopolitan and is syndicated via Digpu & NewsTex.