Las Vegas Crypto Host Abducted by Teens, Forced to Give Up Wallets

Authorities said that the suspects waited for the man at his home after the event and forced him into a vehicle at gunpoint. They then drove him to a remote desert area roughly an hour outside the city.

Once there, the man was told to hand over access to his crypto wallets. He was threatened and told he would not survive if he did not cooperate. The attackers also claimed they had his father and would harm him too.

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During the ordeal, the victim said he could hear a fourth person giving instructions through a phone on speaker, possibly guiding the group remotely.

The teens were able to transfer a large sum of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from the man’s accounts. After they left him in the desert, he walked several miles to reach a gas station, where he contacted a friend for help.

Authorities have charged two 16-year-olds from Florida, Belal Ashraf and Austin Fletcher, with robbery, kidnapping, and extortion. A third teenager believed to be involved has reportedly left the country.

On May 6, Ashraf’s lawyer, Ross Goodman, asked the court to allow his client to stay home under supervision. Judge Noreen Demonte agreed and approved his release with an electronic monitor, court records show.

In a separate hearing on May 9, Fletcher’s public defender made the same request. This time, Judge Daniel Westmeyer denied it and set bail at $4 million.

Prosecutors confirmed both will be tried as adults, with a preliminary hearing planned for June 2025.

On May 8, the US Department of Justice sentenced a Virginia man to over 30 years in prison. What happened? Read the full story.