DURHAM, N.C. — A man was convicted Tuesday for his role in an international conspiracy to break into homes, violently kidnap and assault people and steal their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.
Between September 2022 and July 2023, Remy St Felix helped to plan and orchestrate a series of robberies in Durham, Florida, Texas and New York, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Court documents and evidence showed St Felix was the leader of a robbery crew that targeted cryptocurrency owners through home invasions.
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 they wanted to check the pipes. They eventually pulled out guns and zip tied the two 76-year-olds before berating them with gruesome threats about cutting off body parts.
“The victims in this case suffered a horrible, 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 vital step in securing justice for these victims.”
Prosecutors said St Felix was on the phone with Jarod Gabriel Seemungal, who told St Felix how to have the husband transfer the money from his account. Prosecutors said Seemungal knew details about the husband’s account, which led them to believe that it had been previously compromised.
The men allegedly stole $156,853 in three transactions. A fourth transaction was flagged and denied by Coinbase, the complaint says.
Prosecutors said they obtained phone records showing the three men planning the robbery. They also had information belonging to the husband, including a picture of his driver’s license and license plate number.
The FBI arrested St Felx in July 2023 on his way to commit a home invasion in New York. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11.
“St Felix and his co-conspirators targeted victims across the United States for brutal home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies in order to steal cryptocurrency,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Although the members of this violent conspiracy tried to cover their tracks through encrypted communication and anonymous financial transactions, they were not beyond the reach of our dedicated investigators and prosecutors.
“The jury’s verdict today — the latest in more than a dozen convictions in this case — should serve as yet another reminder that the Criminal Division and its partners are committed to bringing violent offenders to justice, no matter how technically sophisticated their crimes may be.”
