Federal Prosecutors Charge Three Missouri Men in Alleged Bitcoin Kidnapping Scheme
Federal prosecutors said August 4 that Sedric Louis, John Davis and Martel Williams, all from St. Louis, were charged for allegedly helping plan an attempted Bitcoin robbery in Connecticut in August 2024. The indictment places three Missouri defendants inside a wider alleged kidnapping and crypto-theft conspiracy targeting relatives of a person linked to the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
Prosecutors allege the men traveled to Connecticut, rented vehicles and obtained air rifles and walkie-talkies before stalking the intended target and his parents for two days. The alleged plan was to force entry into their home and demand a cryptocurrency transfer, but the Missouri crew left before a separate Florida group carried out the violent carjacking and kidnapping.
A federal grand jury charged all three with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Louis and Davis remain detained, while Williams was released on bond; all three pleaded not guilty. The case now moves through federal court, where prosecutors must prove the alleged planning role beyond a reasonable doubt.
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