A disturbing kidnapping case originating near Toronto, linked to a ransom demand of $1 million in Bitcoin, has concluded with recent court decisions. One of the individuals involved has received their sentence, while a younger participant awaits theirs.
Keyron Moore, aged 39, received a 13-year prison sentence. Factoring in credit for time already served (three years), this follows his conviction for involvement in the 2022 abduction, torture, and sexual assault of a woman identified only as A.T.
Justice M. Townsend delivered the sentence on August 22nd in Newmarket. The sentence includes simultaneous terms for offenses like unlawful confinement, sexual assault committed with a firearm, and the dangerous discharge of a firearm. The court also issued a lifetime ban on owning weapons and mandated a 20-year registration as a sex offender.
The sentencing also made note of a young person, known as S.M. due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, who was a co-accused in the case. The court stipulated that Moore is forbidden from contacting S.M. while incarcerated. S.M. was found guilty earlier in 2024 and is expected to receive their sentence in Oshawa on October 3rd.
To safeguard the victim’s privacy, a publication ban restricting the dissemination of information about the case was put into effect in March of 2024.
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The brutal attack took place on November 1, 2022. A.T. was kidnapped outside a shopping plaza in Thornhill, forced into a vehicle at gunpoint, and transported to Barrie. There, she was held against her will in a garage. Reports from an Ontario Court of Justice document released last December detail that she was stripped, physically assaulted, burned, and threatened with a syringe supposedly filled with fentanyl, as her captors demanded $1 million worth of Bitcoin.
Detective Renwick, the File Coordinator for the investigation, summarized the perpetrators’ demands, stating that they “repeatedly stated their desire for money, as well as cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin.”
During the harrowing ordeal, Moore threatened to shoot the victim if she refused to perform sexual acts. A.T. eventually managed to escape by fleeing through a garage door and seeking assistance from a neighbor who contacted authorities.
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This case is part of a growing pattern of violent crimes connected to digital assets, including instances of so-called “$5 wrench attacks,” where people are physically forced to give up their cryptocurrency holdings.
These incidents underscore how digital currency has become a target for extortion. Legal systems and police forces are now addressing digital asset ransom demands similarly to traditional instances of armed robbery and kidnapping.
In her victim impact statement, A.T. recounted the ongoing psychological damage she suffers as a result of the attack.
“I am afraid to be alone outside. The fear is too powerful. I feel as though I am targeted, that someone is constantly watching, waiting for the opportunity. My heart pounds at the thought of being approached, followed, or kidnapped.”