Texas brothers sentenced to 15 years for armed $8M crypto theft from Minnesota family
Two Texas brothers who kidnapped a Minnesota family at gunpoint and forced them to hand over more than $8 million in cryptocurrency were each sentenced Thursday to about 15 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Raymond Christian Garcia was sentenced to 180 months, while Isiah Angelo Garcia received 186 months for the heist on Sept. 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank imposed the sentences. The brothers pleaded guilty in June.
"My office will continue to pursue those who use intimidation and threats to exploit victims, no matter where they flee," U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said.
Federal court records state the Garcias — both of Waller, Texas — drove to Minnesota and ambushed the family's father while he was taking out the garbage outside his home in the town of Grant, about 15 miles northeast of St. Paul. The brothers then woke the rest of the family at gunpoint. The family was zip-tied and held at gunpoint for more than nine hours, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The Garcias first forced the father to wire $36,000 in crypto to an unknown account.
The man later told investigators he believed the Garcias acquired information about his crypto accounts from a data breach because, after the first transfer, someone tipped off the brothers over the phone to another account. Isiah Garcia then forced him at shotgun point to drive to his cabin three hours away, the criminal complaint states.
The man was forced to transfer millions more from a hard drive-style wallet kept at the cabin. Raymond Garcia stayed behind with the rest of the family in Grant, holding them hostage with an AR-15-style rifle, court documents state. The brothers fled after the man's son called 911, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement arrived at the family's home about 10 minutes after Raymond Garcia fled out the back door and onto a hiking trail, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators later found a suitcase in a tree near the home containing a rifle and a fast food receipt, which helped police track the brothers' rented vehicle to a business in Houston, Texas.
Surveillance video then placed the vehicle days earlier outside a home in Waller, Texas, where the brothers lived. GPS data helped confirm the vehicle had also been in Grant and Roseville, Minnesota.
The complaint states the brothers were pulled over in Oklahoma the day after the heist. Raymond Garcia told law enforcement at the time that he had reported his rifle stolen. Investigators connected a serial number on the rifle's box inside the Texas home to the rifle found near the family's home. They also determined the shotgun Isiah Garcia used was registered to his brother.
The Garcias were initially charged with several crimes by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, but federal charges followed the next day. The FBI and the Washington County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.
