A series of so-called “wrench attacks,” violent robberies targeting wealthy cryptocurrency holders, are making headlines after victims in Los Angeles and the Bay Area were targeted, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
On Nov. 22, a San Francisco man was robbed of $13 million in digital currency after thieves posing as pizza delivery drivers forced their way into his home, bound him with duct tape, beat him with a firearm and threatened to cut off his fingers.
The victim told investigators he had been expecting a package when a man carrying a white box arrived on the front porch of his Mission Dolores home around 5 p.m.
He was reportedly pushed away from the door and overtaken. For the next hour, a suspect inside the home and another on the phone demanded his passwords and ultimately made off with $10 million in Bitcoin and $3 million in Ethereum, according to The Chronicle.
Experts say the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies and the ability to transfer large sums in irreversible transactions, features that attract speculators, also make large account holders vulnerable to bad actors.
Three attempted wrench attacks in Sunnyvale, San Jose and Los Angeles that occurred in the days and weeks following the San Francisco home invasion appear to be linked.
In some cases, investigators believe suspects infiltrated victims’ DoorDash or Uber Eats accounts and obtained key information, including home addresses.
On Dec. 17, a San Jose man was met in his driveway by an armed suspect who ordered him into the garage and told him to close the door. He was struck on the back of the head with the gun and fell, later telling investigators he pretended to be seriously injured.
The suspect and another man were spooked when an Amazon delivery van drove by, prompting them to flee.
The victim also recounted two pizza deliveries to his home 11 days earlier that he had not ordered. Just two days before the attack, he was approached by individuals offering to power wash his driveway for free, an offer he declined.
Five days later in Sunnyvale, another man reported that a person posing as a DoorDash driver delivering coffee brandished a gun and pushed his way inside the victim’s home. The suspect fled in a black Kia after the victim fought back.
The suspect was later pulled over and arrested. He was identified as Nino Chindavanh, a 21-year-old resident of Tennessee.
In several violent home invasions targeting wealthy California crypto holders, the suspects posed as delivery drivers after infiltrating the victims’ DoorDash and Uber Eats accounts, investigators said. (Canva)
Eight days later, a second suspect attempted the same coffee delivery ruse at the same home.
On New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood, a man posing as a delivery driver asked if he could get a drink of water. The victim obliged and was followed into the home at gunpoint.
He was bound with duct tape and zip ties by the time a second suspect arrived, while a third person was contacted by phone. The suspects threatened to cut off his fingers, prompting the victim to give up his computer password, allowing them to view his cryptocurrency holdings.
A witness hiding in a pantry during the ordeal managed to escape and call 911.
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When the suspects heard a helicopter circling overhead, they attempted to flee and were later arrested following a police pursuit.
The two suspects were identified as Elijah Armstrong and Jayden Rucker, both residents of Tennessee. Rucker’s wallet and ID were also found in the black Kia Chindavanh had been driving.
While the three men have been charged with robbery, burglary, assault with a firearm and attempted extortion, among other offenses, investigators believe higher-level operatives are involved in the wrench attacks, a term derived from a web comic.
It’s unclear if investigators, including those at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have identified any of the larger players in the scheme.
Detectives believe all suspects involved in the in-person robberies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles have now been taken into custody.
A DoorDash spokesperson told The Chronicle that the company is unable to comment on the cases as the investigation remains ongoing, but said the company is cooperating with state, local and federal investigators.
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