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Three Florida teens have been accused of kidnapping a man at gunpoint outside his Las Vegas apartment, stealing about $4 million in digital assets and NFTs before abandoning him in a remote Arizona desert. The attack occurred in November 2024, after the victim left a crypto event at a Downtown Las Vegas business. After returning to his apartment and parking his vehicle, the Florida teens ambushed him at gunpoint and forced him into the back seat of their vehicle. According to authorities, the teens have been identified as Belal Ashraf, Austin Fletcher, and a third unnamed suspect. The criminals placed a towel over the head of the victim, warning him not to look at them. According to the victim, the Florida teens said that if he wanted to live to see another day, he should cooperate with them. They also threatened to kill the victim and his father if he failed to comply. According to the authorities, the victim was asked, under duress, to hand over passwords and grant access to his crypto accounts. Throughout the attack, the victim mentioned that the suspects seemed to be acting under the instructions of a fourth party who was dishing out commands over the speakerphone of a mobile device. The fourth suspect looked like he was in charge of the whole operation, directing the extortion in real time. The trio allegedly drove the victim to White Hills, Arizona, about 70 miles from Las Vegas, where they carried out the crime. After draining the victim of about $4 million in several digital assets and NFT s, they dumped him in the desert and fled. The victim said he managed to walk about five miles before he came across a gas station where he reached out for help. According to investigators, they tracked a suspect vehicle making its way from Florida to Nevada, stopping at several key locations, including the victim’s apartment complex. In Mississippi, the police mentioned that they recovered a firearm tied to one of the suspects’ family members. The police mentioned that the weapon matched the one that was used in one of the videos made by the suspects on social media. Authorities have now charged Ashraf and Fletcher, who are both 16 and from Pasco County in Florida, on allegations of robbery, kidnapping, and extortion, alongside their third unidentified accomplice, who prosecutors believe has fled the United States. According to court documents, the teen had records of disruption at their Florida high school, including swearing in different languages and physically confronting school staff. At Fletcher’s probable cause hearing, the Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Daniel West Meyer set bail at $4 million, while Ashraf was granted release under electronic monitoring. There has been a rise in kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting individuals linked to digital assets, including investors, public figures, and entrepreneurs. One of the latest incidents was that of Texas-based streamer Amouranth, who suffered a home invasion in March. The armed suspects held her at gunpoint and demanded access to her crypto holdings. The police later arrested four individuals in connection with the attack. Outside of the United States, there have been three kidnappings in France, with the latest one the kidnapping of an aged father of a crypto millionaire. The criminal was said to have severed one of his fingers to pressure his son into conceding to their demands. Another one was the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland. Law enforcement agencies globally have been warning individuals holding a significant portion of digital assets to ensure they use enhanced security protocols to safeguard themselves. KEY Difference Wire helps crypto brands break through and dominate headlines fast

U.S. Senator Urges Treasury and Justice Departments to Investigate Binance's Relationship with Trump

US Senators urge Treasury and Justice Departments to investigate Binance's relationship with Trump A group of U.S. Democratic senators (including Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren) sent a joint letter to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General, asking for an investigation into Binance's connection with the Trump family's digital asset project. The letter pointed out that Abu Dhabi investment company MXG completed a $2 billion investment in Binance through the USD1 stablecoin controlled by the Trump family in March this year, which raised concerns about compliance risks. In 2023, Binance pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering regulations, and its former CEO CZ was sentenced to prison. Senate Democrats just suspended the passage of the Stablecoin Act on May 9 on the grounds of "preventing current officials from profiting from crypto projects." The joint letter requires the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice to submit three explanations by May 21: Binance's progress in fulfilling the plea agreement, the timetable for exiting the U.S. market, and whether CZ's pardon has been discussed. Earlier news, CZ confirmed that he had applied for Trump's pardon. (Bloomberg)

Alex Mashinsky, disgraced founder of bankrupt crypto lending firm Celsius, stole $48 million from customers. A landmark case of crypto fraud reached its conclusion. On Thursday, May 8, Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the firm’s bankruptcy, which cost its users billions. According to the prosecution, Mashinsky victimized thousands of people, many of whom lost their life savings. At the same time, the disgraced founder stole more than $48 million from Celsius. Mashinsky pleaded guilty to securities and commodities fraud. The sentence fell short of the 20-year term requested by the Department of Justice, which called it a just punishment. Mashinsky disagreed, and his lawyers, in a May 5 filing, described the DOJ’s request as a ‘death-in-prison’ sentence . They argued that Mashinsky never intended to harm customers or steal their money. His legal team attempted to elicit sympathy by highlighting the persecution his Jewish family faced in Soviet Russia and his military service in the Israeli Defense Forces. However, the judge did not take those factors into consideration during sentencing. Celsius was a crypto lender that promised high interest rates while touting the safety of its investments. On some deposits, they gave out 17% in interest , much higher than the market rate. At its height, the firm claimed it had 1.7 million users, managed $11.7 billion worth of assets, and gave out $8 billion in loans. But in 2022, as the crypto market faced extreme volatility, Celsius’s operations began to unravel. Instead of secure loans, the firm had engaged in highly leveraged trading strategies. When markets turned, those positions collapsed, leaving Celsius insolvent and its depositors with billions in losses.

U.S. court sentences former Celsius CEO to 12 years in prison A U.S. court has sentenced Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of cryptocurrency lending company @CelsiusNetwork ( $CEL ), to 12 years in prison on charges of fraud, Bloomberg reported. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ)