Tennessee Trio Indicted in Alleged $6.5M Gunpoint Crypto Heists

A federal grand jury has indicted three Tennessee men on charges that they posed as delivery workers, entered West Coast homes and forced victims to surrender access to digital asset accounts. The indictment names Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh and Jayden Rucker and alleges a conspiracy to kidnap and rob cryptocurrency holders in California.

Prosecutors say the defendants traveled from Tennessee and targeted residences in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Los Angeles. Investigators allege the group used guns, zip ties and duct tape to restrain occupants. In one episode the men reportedly forced a victim to log into cryptocurrency accounts at gunpoint while an associate transferred roughly $6.5 million from those wallets to addresses controlled by the group.

The defendants are identified as Elijah Armstrong, 21; Nino Chindavanh, 21; and Jayden Rucker, 25. Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 31. Chindavanh was detained earlier in December in Sunnyvale. All three remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings.

Federal prosecutors charged the men with offenses including Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery and Attempted Kidnapping. Convictions on some counts carry up to 20 years in prison and fines as high as $250,000. The Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping count carries a possible life sentence.

U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian described the alleged scheme as “brazen, violent, and dangerous,” adding that the defendants “terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency.” The Justice Department said the suspects used deceptive entry methods and coordinated efforts to get victims to surrender account access.

The arrests come amid a rise in reported physical attacks on cryptocurrency holders. Blockchain security firm CertiK recorded 34 verified physical attacks between January and April 2026, a 41% increase from the same period a year earlier, and projects roughly 130 such “wrench attacks” for 2026 if the pace holds. Federal authorities have not disclosed whether any of the stolen digital assets have been recovered.

The case will proceed in federal court, where prosecutors will present evidence collected during the investigation. Defense attorneys for the defendants have not publicly commented.