Crypto Owners Forced at Gunpoint to Unlock Accounts in $6.5M Robbery Spree

Delivery Disguises and Gunpoint Crypto Transfers Detailed

A federal grand jury indicted Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker on robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy charges tied to a violent robbery spree targeting cryptocurrency owners. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) described the case as “a violent robbery spree targeting cryptocurrency owners” in a press release on May 11.

Prosecutors alleged the men traveled from Tennessee to California to target victims in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles. They allegedly posed as pizza, package, and coffee delivery workers to persuade victims to open their doors before forcing entry into the residences. Authorities said the attackers carried firearms and used duct tape and zip ties to restrain victims during the robberies. The DOJ stated:

“In one of the incidents perpetrated by the conspiracy, the victim was forced at gunpoint to sign into his cryptocurrency accounts so that a co-conspirator could transfer approximately $6.5 million from his cryptocurrency accounts to a wallet controlled by the co-conspirators.”

The indictment alleged the group carried out coordinated home-invasion robberies and attempted robberies across multiple California cities. Prosecutors said victims were assaulted, restrained, and threatened inside their homes during the attacks.

Charges Carry Potential Life Sentence in Federal Court

Chindavanh was arrested in Sunnyvale on Dec. 22, 2025, while Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2025. Chindavanh appeared in federal court in San Francisco on April 14, 2026. Armstrong and Rucker appeared there on May 11 and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson on May 12 for appointment of counsel. Chindavanh is scheduled for a status hearing on June 26 before U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson.

The indictment charges the men with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and attempted kidnapping. The Hobbs Act and attempted kidnapping counts each carry up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The kidnapping conspiracy count carries up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian said:

“These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous.”

Prosecutors alleged the group carried out coordinated home-invasion robberies across multiple California cities by disguising themselves as delivery workers before forcing victims to unlock cryptocurrency accounts at gunpoint. An indictment is an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.