According to court filings, the initial tip came from a confidential source. The suspects intended to target an employee of the Seybold Building, historically home to many jewellery stores.
A leader called Jack and his associates — whom he referred to as “thugs” — learned the prospective victim held a large amount of cryptocurrency and planned to exchange it for cash on 13 January. The group allegedly intended to abduct the jeweller and seize the assets.
The ringleader allegedly told the team not to injure the victim beyond one “good knock” to the head. The would-be kidnappers planned to carry firearms, including assault rifles and MAC-10 submachine guns.
Law enforcement arrested four members on the day of the planned crime. Evan Packett, Trevon Anthony Neal, Zachary Briggs and Aaron Hammond have been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and attempted kidnapping.
The defendants are being held without bond. A court hearing is set in Miami for 21 January.
In December 2024, an Australian woman kidnapped a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family to obtain $40,000 in bitcoin as ransom.
