Tennessee trio face federal charges in California crypto robbery spree, prosecutors say
Three men from Tennessee have been indicted on federal charges, including attempted kidnapping, in connection with an alleged multimillion dollar crime spree targeting cryptocurrency owners in California.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of California, 21-year-old Elijah Armstrong, 21-year-old Nino Chindavanh and 25-year-old Jayden Rucker were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 31. The trio have been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted robbery and attempted kidnapping.
Chindavanh was arrested on Dec. 22, 2025 in Sunnyvale, a city in Silicon Valley about 35 miles south of San Francisco, while Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve.
"These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous," said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian.
According to prosecutors, the suspects traveled nearly 2,000 miles from Tennessee to commit the crimes in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. The trio posted as deliverymen to gain access to victims' homes in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Los Angeles.
Prosecutors said the men used firearms, duct tape and zip ties to assault victims, including by binding and restraining, to force victims to divulge account information.
In a statement Monday, the U.S. Attorney's office noted one incident where a victim was forced at gunpoint to sign into his crypto accounts so that a co-conspirator could transfer $6.5 million to a wallet controlled by the suspects.
"As alleged, this was a calculated scheme involving robbery, kidnapping, and the theft of millions in cryptocurrency - crimes that put innocent people at risk and threaten the sense of safety we all rely on," said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo.
All three suspects are in federal custody, prosecutors said.
Chindavanh made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on April 14, with his next court appearance scheduled for June 26.
Meanwhile Armstrong and Rucker made their initial court appearances on Monday and are expected to appear again in court Tuesday for appointment of counsel, prosecutors said.
If convicted, the suspects face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,00 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery and attempted kidnapping, along with a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.