In London, a Belgian barber was held hostage by a gang who mistook him for a Bitcoin billionaire, demanding $645,000 in crypto.
The dark side of crypto surfaces occasionally, this time in the form of two disturbing kidnap-for-crypto schemes on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
In South Florida, a man allegedly plotted the abduction and mutilation of an entire family over a $3 million debt. Meanwhile, in London, a Belgian barber was held hostage by a gang who mistakenly believed he was a crypto billionaire.
The FBI alleges that 30-year-old Shlomo Akuka of Hallandale Beach, Florida, sought to enforce a $3 million cryptocurrency debt by hiring hitmen. The criminals would kidnap a Brazilian man, his fiancée, and their daughters, and mutilate them until the money was repaid.
Against this backdrop, Akuka became the focus of an FBI sting targeting money laundering networks in Florida. He allegedly laundered nearly $200,000 in what he believed were drug proceeds through a series of crypto transactions using Tether (USDT) stablecoin.
During multiple meetings with undercover informants posing as cocaine traffickers, Akuka reportedly took a 5% cut to convert cash into USDT. He also offered advice on laundering strategies, and asked if they “needed more clients to sell flour,” using slang for cocaine.
However, in a meeting on July 17, things took a far darker turn. Akuka allegedly detailed his plan to kidnap a debtor and his family. Based on the report, he had already placed a GPS tracker on the fiancée’s car.
According to the FBI, he said the daughter’s hands “should be cut off” until the $3 million was paid.
In a subsequent meeting on July 23, Akuka reiterated the plan to the two undercover agents. Reportedly, he offered them $10,000 upfront to carry out the kidnappings and finger amputations.
That meeting would be his last. He was arrested the following day and remains in custody before his court appearance in Fort Lauderdale. If convicted, he faces decades in federal prison.
Just days before Akuka’s arrest, another crypto-fueled crime made headlines in London. Reports indicate a Belgian barber named Quentin Cepelja, 21, was lured by a woman on Instagram. The perpetrator believed Cepelja was a secret Bitcoin millionaire.
The woman, 20-year-old Davina Raaymakers, invited Cepelja to London in May 2023 under the guise of a romance. Instead, she led him to a dingy bedsit in West London.
On arrival, Cepelja found a gang, including the woman’s boyfriend, Adlan Haji, waiting.
The group held Cepelja at knifepoint for nine hours, demanding £500,000 ($645,000) in crypto. However, to their dismay, Cepelja had just £6.71 ($8.66) in his crypto wallet. They eventually settled for £2,000 ($2,580) in cash before releasing him.
The victim’s friend in Belgium alerted police, who later arrested the gang using Airbnb booking records. All four suspects pleaded guilty to blackmail and await sentencing.
These two disturbing incidents highlight a growing pattern. Physical threats tied to crypto increase as digital assets go mainstream.
Similar incidents have been reported in France targeting a Ledger user. Other regions include Morocco and the US, with the latter leading in crypto kidnapping cases.
Barely a month ago in Estonia, an Australian crypto billionaire survived a kidnapping attempt. As it happened, he bit off part of his assailant’s finger to escape.
With fortunes secured behind passwords and stored on mobile wallets, criminals increasingly resort to brutal tactics to force access to crypto holdings.
From mutilation plots in Miami to hostage situations in London, crypto wealth, or even the illusion of it, can turn deadly.
