Remy St Felix has been convicted of leading a team to conduct home invasions across several states with the express purpose of stealing cryptocurrencies. A federal jury in North Carolina has found Florida man Remy St Felix guilty of orchestrating a series of violent home invasions aimed at stealing Bitcoin and other crypto assets from targeted victims.
St Felix, a 24-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, led a group that targeted cryptocurrency owners in several states between September 2022 and July 2023.
The thefts, which took place in Durham, North Carolina, as well as Florida, Texas and New York, involved home invasions, kidnapping residents and coercing them into transferring their cryptocurrency holdings.
In April 2023, St Felix and an accomplice assaulted a victim in her home, restraining her with necklaces and threatening violence to the victim and her spouse. The attack resulted in the theft of more than $150,000 in cryptocurrencies.
The conviction comes at a time when cryptocurrency-related crime remains a major concern. According to Chainalysis, although the total value of stolen cryptocurrencies has decreased from $3.7 billion in 2022 to $1.7 billion in 2023, the number of hacking incidents has actually increased from 219 to 231 over the same period.
The crimes of St Felix and his team introduce a real element of danger, as they used sophisticated methods to identify and target their victims, including unauthorised access to email accounts and physical surveillance. They also used encryption and anonymous financial transactions in an attempt to avoid detection.
The FBI played a crucial role in St Felix's arrest, according to the Department of Justice announcement, arresting him in July 2023 as he was on his way to commit another home invasion in New York.
Thirteen of his accomplices have already pleaded guilty to their involvement in the plan. The jury found St Felix guilty on nine counts, including conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud and brandishing a firearm in the commission of violent crimes.
He faces a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment. St Felix is due to be sentenced on 11 September.
