Three Florida Teens Kidnap Cryptocurrency Event Organizer, Steal $4 Million in Crypto

May 10th. Three teenagers from Florida have been charged with gunpoint kidnapping a man. They took him to a remote desert area about an hour outside of Las Vegas and stole $4 million worth of cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Records show that Belal Ashraf and Austin Fletcher, both 16 and from Pasco County, along with another teenager, face charges including robbery, kidnapping, and extortion. A juvenile court judge had previously determined that Ashraf and Fletcher should be treated as adults. During Friday's Fletcher's probable cause hearing, prosecutors stated that the third teenager is no longer in the United States. The prosecutors also said that these individuals are accused of stealing $4 million worth of cryptocurrency and NFTs. According to the documents, last November, a man reported that three youths had kidnapped him at gunpoint, taken him to a remote desert area, and stolen millions of dollars in assets from him. Police said that evening the victim had attended a cryptocurrency-related event at a business in downtown Las Vegas. Later, the victim returned to his apartment building and parked his car. The three suspects then approached him and forced him into the back seat of their vehicle. The documents state: "(The victim) was informed that if he cooperated, he would survive to see tomorrow; if he did not cooperate, they had control of his father and would kill him." "(The victim) had a towel placed over his head and was warned by the suspects not to look at them." Police said that the young men demanded that the victim provide his password and threatened him to gain access to his financial accounts. The victim could also hear through a phone speaker that the suspects seemed to be communicating directly with someone else on the phone. Police suspect that these three individuals then took the victim to the White Mountains area in Arizona, which is more than 70 miles from Las Vegas and takes over an hour to drive. The victim walked alone in the desert for five miles before reaching a gas station, where he called a friend to pick him up.