$8M cryptocurrency kidnapping
Two individuals involved in an $8 million cryptocurrency hostage case in the Twin Cities face federal charges. Reporter Karen Scullin from FOX 9 provides the latest updates.
(FOX 9) – Two brothers from Texas have been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for their involvement in the armed kidnapping of a family in Minnesota while coercing them to hand over more than $8 million in cryptocurrency.
Sentencing in Cryptocurrency Kidnapping Case
Brothers Sentenced:
Raymond Christian Garcia and Isiah Angelo Garcia, residents of Waller, Texas, were sentenced Thursday for their participation in the armed robbery and abduction of a family in Grant, Minnesota that occurred in September 2025.
A federal judge imposed a 15-year sentence on Raymond Garcia, while Isiah Garcia received a slightly longer sentence of 15.5 years.
Both individuals pleaded guilty in June to one charge of robbery interfering with commerce.
Statements from Officials:
“Raymond and Isiah Garcia not only violated the security of a home but also abducted an individual, terrorizing a family at gunpoint for an extended period, disrupting an entire community through their violent and greedy actions,” stated Christopher D. Dotson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “The defendants’ actions were both planned and extraordinarily violent. Such crimes leave profound and enduring effects on victims and their communities… I hope today’s sentencing aids in the healing process for the victims as they move forward from this ordeal.”
Family Held Hostage for Several Hours
Background Information:
Court documents reveal that the brothers journeyed from Texas to Minnesota and subsequently kidnapped a family at their home in Grant on September 19, 2025.
Reports indicate that the siblings bound the family using zip ties and threatened them with firearms, holding them hostage for over nine hours as they demanded access to their cryptocurrency accounts.
When the family member did not transfer the expected amounts, he was forced to drive Isiah Garcia to the family’s cabin located three hours away in northern Minnesota.
At the cabin, Isiah Garcia demanded that the hostage locate additional cryptocurrency storage devices and complete the fund transfers.
In total, the victim was compelled to transfer over $8 million in cryptocurrency.
Court records indicate the victim suspected that some of his cryptocurrency account details may have been compromised due to a data breach.
Source: This story draws on previous reporting from FOX 9, details from court documents, and a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.