Last November, 35-year-old Luis Meza, along with other gang members, kidnapped his friend and stole $2 million worth of cryptocurrency from him.
In December, Meza was arrested on charges of kidnapping and robbing the victim. The basis for the arrest was a video recording from the crime scene. The remaining criminals escaped.
This week, the New York Daily News reported the arrest of the remaining members of the Bronx biker gang, namely Cesar Guzman (Fuego), Allan Nunez (Joker) and Darrell Colon (Bishop), who were charged with complicity in the kidnapping of Ether.
According to Assistant District Attorney James Winokur, Meza came to pick up the victim on minibus with Uber logo. Once the victim got into the vehicle, Colon pointed a gun at him while Nunez drove while the others threatened the victim. Two hours later, the victim gave up and revealed the password to his ethereum wallet to the criminals. Surveillance cameras captured Guzman and Meza entering the victim's home and stealing the equivalent of $2 million in ether.
Fortunately, law enforcement was able to recover most of the stolen cryptocurrency. Rob Georges, Guzman's lawyer, said Guzman worked for a charity in the Bronx and provided a letter of recommendation from a City Council member attesting to his good character. He added that Guzman should be released on a minimum bail amount, since even Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer accused of rape and harassment, was released on a bail amount that was insignificant for him. Three members of the group have pleaded not guilty to the charges and will be released on bail of $50,000 each.
The number of crimes related to cryptocurrency is constantly growing as criminals find different ways to deceive people. Speaking about the connection between cryptocurrency crimes and price fluctuations, Cyrus Roberts Vance Jr., New York County District Attorney, said: “Investors are not the only ones tracking cryptocurrency price fluctuations. Everyone, from sophisticated cybercriminals to old-school scammers, is keeping a close eye on prices, too.”
According to ccn.com
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