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Man convicted of brutal Durham kidnapping, forcing couple to surrender $156,000 in cryptocurrency
DURHAM, North Carolina — A man was sentenced Tuesday for his role in an international crime conspiracy to break into homes, kidnap and violently assault people, and steal their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Between September 2022 and July 2023, Remy St Felix helped plan and orchestrate a series of robberies in Durham, Florida, Texas and New York, according to the US Department of Justice.
Court documents and evidence showed that St Felix was the leader of a gang of robbers who targeted cryptocurrency holders through intrusions into their homes.
According to an affidavit obtained by WRAL News, two men were dressed as construction workers when they knocked on the couple’s door on Wells Street on April 12, 2023, pretending to want to check the pipes. They eventually pulled out guns and zip-tied the two 76-year-olds before berating them with gruesome threats to cut off body parts.
“The victims in this case endured a horrific and painful experience that no citizen should have to endure,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina. “The defendant and his co-conspirators acted purely out of greed and callously terrorized those they targeted.
“The jury’s verdict in this case represents a critical step in ensuring justice for these victims.”
Prosecutors said St Felix was on the phone with Jarod Gabriel Seemungal, who told St Felix how to get her husband to transfer money from his account. Prosecutors said Seemungal knew details about her husband’s account, which led them to believe he had previously been compromised.
The men allegedly stole $156,853 in three transactions. A fourth transaction was reported and denied by Coinbase, the complaint said.
Investigators said they obtained phone records that showed the three men planning the robbery. They also had information belonging to her husband, including a photo of her driver’s license and her license plate number.
The FBI arrested St Felx in July 2023 on his way to commit a home invasion in New York. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11.
“St. Felix and his co-conspirators targeted victims across the United States for brutal home invasions, kidnappings and robberies to steal cryptocurrency,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, chief of the Department of Criminal Justice Division. Justice. “Although members of this violent conspiracy attempted to cover their tracks through encrypted communications and anonymous financial transactions, they were not beyond the reach of our dedicated investigators and prosecutors.
“The jury’s verdict today – the latest of more than a dozen convictions in this case – should serve as a reminder once again that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent offenders to justice, no matter how technically sophisticated may be their crimes.”