A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, convicted a Florida man today for his lead role in an international conspiracy to break into U.S. citizens’ homes, violently kidnap and assault them, and steal their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Remy St Felix, 24, of West Palm Beach, was a leader of a robbery crew that targeted cryptocurrency owners through violent home invasions. Between September 2022 and July 2023, St Felix helped to plan and orchestrate a series of robberies in Durham, North Carolina; Florida; Texas; and New York. Victims from St Felix’s home invasions were kidnapped in their own homes and told to access and drain their cryptocurrency accounts.
“St Felix and his co-conspirators targeted victims across the United States for brutal home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies in order to steal cryptocurrency,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Although the members of this violent conspiracy tried to cover their tracks through encrypted communication and anonymous financial transactions, they were not beyond the reach of our dedicated investigators and prosecutors. The jury’s verdict today—the latest in more than a dozen convictions in this case—should serve as yet another reminder that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent offenders to justice, no matter how technically sophisticated their crimes may be.”
“The victims in this case suffered a horrible, painful experience that no citizen should have to endure,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina. “The defendant and his co-conspirators acted purely out of greed and callously terrorized those they targeted. The jury’s verdict in this case represents a vital step in securing justice for these victims.”
According to trial evidence, in April 2023, St Felix and a co-conspirator forced their way into a victim’s home. There, St Felix and his co-conspirator assaulted, zip-tied, and held the victim at gunpoint, and threatened more violence against the victim and the victim’s spouse, while other co-conspirators transferred more than $150,000 in cryptocurrency from the victim’s account.
Evidence introduced at trial revealed that St Felix and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to their targets’ email accounts and conducted physical surveillance prior to attempting the home invasion robberies. They laundered the funds they stole through anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies such as Monero, as well as “instant exchanges” and decentralized finance platforms that did not conduct know-your-customer checks. St Felix and his co-conspirators in the United States and abroad used encrypted messaging applications to communicate about their targets and their money laundering efforts.
“Engaging in violence in the furtherance of stealing cryptocurrency, as Remy St Felix did, will not be tolerated by the FBI and its partners,” said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “We are proud of the work that led to today’s conviction, which should act as a warning to others looking to participate in similar activity that we will not stop until you face the consequences of your actions.”
“The crimes committed by this ring of violent cryptocurrency thieves are shocking. They held victims hostage in their own homes and stole hundreds of millions of dollars from their crypto accounts,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “This investigation is an outstanding example of what a local FBI field office can accomplish. We hope the tireless work of our criminal and cyber squads can provide some sense of justice to the victims terrorized by this group.”
St Felix was arrested by the FBI in July 2023 on his way to commit a home invasion in New York. Thirteen of St Felix’s co-conspirators, including members of his home invasion robbery crew, also were arrested and later pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.
The jury convicted St Felix of nine counts relating to conspiracy, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, wire fraud, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11 and faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina; and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Durham Police Department and the FBI New York, Miami, Houston, Mobile, and Newark Field Offices. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section is partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina in prosecuting the case. CCIPS/NCET Trial Attorney and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Iverson for the Middle District of North Carolina and CCIPS Trial Attorney Brian Mund are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Florida, Southern District of Texas, and Eastern District of Texas provided valuable assistance.
NCET was established to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Within CCIPS, NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that enable the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, obfuscation services, and infrastructure providers. NCET also sets strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identifies areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and leads the department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.