Three Missouri Men Charged in Alleged Bitcoin Kidnap Plot That Got Spooked by a Doorbell Cam 🚪

Three Missouri men have been charged over an alleged August 2024 scheme to kidnap a Bitcoin holder and seize his cryptocurrency. Sedric Louis, John Davis and Martel Williams were allegedly enlisted to abduct the victim and coerce him into transferring Bitcoin to wallets controlled by the organizers, according to a Tuesday press release from the US Attorney's Office.

The defendants traveled from St. Louis to Connecticut, where they rented vehicles and acquired air rifles while surveilling the intended target. After two days of stakeouts, they abandoned the plan over concerns that home security cameras would capture them, the release states. A separate crew from Florida later arrived to carry out the scheme.

All three were charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, a charge carrying a maximum 20-year sentence. Louis and Davis have been detained since their arrest on June 25, 2026, while Williams was released on bond. Each defendant pleaded not guilty.

Physical attacks on cryptocurrency holders have grown sharply. Home invasions were the most common form of physical attack on crypto investors in the first half of 2026, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. Reported crypto home invasions rose to 20 incidents in the first half, compared with a single case in the same period a year earlier.