Imagine having your life turned upside down in a matter of minutes—all for the Bitcoin that you held in your Crypto wallet. This horrifying reality played out for multiple families caught in the crosshairs of a $3.5 million cryptocurrency heist, now at the center of a major criminal case. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sentenced 12 individuals for their roles in this disturbing crime.
At the helm? Remy Ra St Felix, a 25-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, now facing a staggering 47 years in prison. His accomplice, Seemungal, received a 20-year sentence.
But these two weren’t working alone—a web of co-conspirators also received sentences for their involvement in this operation.
These criminals used SIM swapping method, where they hijacked victims’ phone numbers, giving them access to online accounts—including cryptocurrency wallets.
Once inside their targets’ accounts, they didn’t stop at identity theft. These criminals escalated to violent home invasions, turning a high-tech heist into a terrifying ordeal.
In one case, an unsuspecting victim was kidnapped, brutally beaten, and left 120 miles from his home. The trauma doesn’t end there.
A family in Delray Beach was held at gunpoint for hours in their own home. Another family in Homestead endured the unimaginable as their father was abducted, only to be found later, injured and terrified.
The fear these victims faced is unimaginable, as their homes—their supposed sanctuaries—became scenes of violence.
They went through all this trouble to bypass verification checks, allowing them to transfer cryptocurrency and complete their heist.
The criminals thought they could cover their tracks using the anonymity of certain cryptocurrencies, exploiting platforms that didn’t require traditional identity checks.
This added another layer of sophistication to their scheme, as they attempted to launder the stolen assets through decentralized systems.
But the illusion of invisibility didn’t hold.
Law enforcement eventually caught up to them, unraveling the entire operation.
Seemungal, one of the main architects of the plot, now faces not only a 20-year prison sentence but also over $4 million in restitution.
This wasn’t a simple smash-and-grab—it was a meticulously planned criminal endeavor involving crypto theft, physical violence, and calculated money laundering.
