Two brothers pleaded guilty in the case related to the armed attack on a family in the US state of Minnesota and the cryptocurrency transfer of approximately $ 8 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced that Isiah Angelo Garcia and Raymond Christian Garcia pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing commerce by extortion.
The brothers admitted their guilt and also accepted compensation
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the incident took place in September 2025. It was stated that the two defendants, who came to Minnesota from Texas, threatened the victim, his wife and their son with a gun. It was reported that the attack then turned into accessing online accounts and hardware wallets.
Authorities reported that the victim’s wife and son were held in the family home for approximately nine hours, while the victim was taken to a family cabin approximately three hours away. According to the prosecutor’s office, the victim was forced to transfer cryptocurrency worth approximately $8 million.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced that the guilty pleas reflected the determination to hold the defendants accountable for their actions, and that the two brothers also agreed to pay over $8 million in compensation.
The court has not yet announced when the sentencing hearings will be held. Both defendants face a maximum federal prison sentence of up to 20 years. It was also noted that the brothers agreed to pay compensation of more than 8 million dollars.
Weapons and camera footage came to the fore in the investigation
Washington County Sheriff’s Office teams responded to the scene upon a call for help from the victim’s son. It was stated that the teams later found a rifle and a shotgun, and security camera records and other evidence linked the two brothers to the incident.
Hardware wallet is known as a storage method that allows crypto assets to be stored on physical devices independent of internet connection. Although such wallets offer additional protection against cyber attacks, they do not provide direct assurance against physical threats and coercion.
Mini dictionary: A hardware wallet is a physical device that keeps the private keys of crypto assets offline. This structure can reduce the risk of digital infiltration, but does not prevent physical oppression of the device owner.
An increase in physical attacks was noted
The case file included information that the two defendants admitted to threatening the family with firearms. It is expected that compensation and penalty decisions will be clarified in the next stage of the process.
The dossier comes amid broader concerns about a rise in physical attacks against digital asset holders. According to the report shared by CertiK in February, attacks and hijackings targeting cryptocurrency holders increased by 75% in 2025 compared to the previous year. The report calculated that the loss from such events reached $101 million in the first four months of 2026.
| Event | Amount | Period |
|---|---|---|
| case in minnesota | Approximately 8 million dollars | September 2025 |
| Separate indictment announced in the USA in May | At least $6.5 million | May 2026 |
| Total losses reported by CertiK | $101 million | First four months of 2026 |
US officials announced in May that an indictment had been announced against three people regarding a separate cryptocurrency theft series. According to investigation documents, these people allegedly entered homes pretending to be delivery drivers and took at least $6.5 million from cryptocurrency holders.
Minister Jean-Didier Berger, who works at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in France, stated at the Paris Blockchain Week event in April that the government took preventive steps and thousands of people registered to the protection platform launched.
French authorities also warned against similar attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders. The statements of the authorities pointed out that digital assets can face not only online threats but also crimes involving the use of physical force.
