Minnesota family held hostage in $8M crypto kidnapping, Texas brothers charged
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Two Texas brothers are facing federal and state charges after authorities say they carried out a violent kidnapping in Washington County that ended with the theft of $8 million in cryptocurrency and forced Mahtomedi Public Schools to cancel its homecoming football game.
Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were arrested Sept. 22 in Waller, Texas, and charged with kidnapping in a federal complain. Both also face state charges in Washington County, including kidnapping with a firearm, aggravated robbery, and burglary.
According to court documents, the brothers ambushed a man outside his home in Grant, Minn. on Sept. 19. Armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, they zip tied the victim’s hands and forced their way into the house, where they woke his wife and adult son at gunpoint. The family was restrained and held hostage for nine hours.
Prosecutors say while Raymond Garcia guarded the wife and son, Isiah Garcia forced the victim to log into his cryptocurrency accounts and transfer millions to the brothers. When the suspects learned additional funds were stored at a family cabin three hours away, Isiah Garcia allegedly drove the victim there at gunpoint to retrieve them, while his brother remained behind with the hostages.
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In total, the Garcias made off with $8 million, authorities said. The victim’s son managed to call 911 after one of the brothers briefly left the home, prompting a large law enforcement response. Deputies found the wife and son zip tied inside and saw Raymond Garcia fleeing out the back door. A suitcase containing a disassembled rifle, ammunition, and other items was recovered nearby.
As officers swarmed the area, Mahtomedi Public Schools canceled its homecoming game out of caution due to the proximity of the search. Meanwhile, Isiah Garcia attempted to evade detection by ditching the shotgun in a field and abandoning the victim’s truck near a middle school, investigators said.
Law enforcement connected the brothers to a car rented in Texas and a Roseville Motel 6 after finding a Wendy’s receipt in a gun case discarded near the victim’s home. The vehicle was tracked back to the Garcias’ home in Waller where both men were arrested. Investigators said Isiah Garcia confessed after his arrest.
“This is not normal,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said in a statement. “Minnesotans should not accept wild violence and thievery as normal. Every Minnesotan deserves to live in peace and a life unaffected by rampant crime.”
