Canadian man hit with 13-year sentence over $1M ransom demand in BTC kidnapping

Keyron Moore has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for abducting, torturing, and demanding $1 million in Bitcoin as ransom. The victim, identified as A.T., was kidnapped in Thornhill in 2022 and confined, assaulted, and threatened. 

The Toronto-area kidnapping has drawn attention following violent crimes linked to cryptocurrency. Justice M. Townsend sentenced the accused at the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket after being in custody since his 2022 arrest. Moore received three years’ credit for time served.

Ontario Court ruling highlights dangers of crypto-fueled crimes

The accused party, Keyron Moore, was convicted of multiple charges, including forcible confinement, sexual assault with a firearm, and reckless discharge of a gun. The sentence also imposed a lifetime ban on weapons possession and required Moore to register as a sex offender for 20 years.

Keyron Moore’s case drew much attention following the demand for cryptocurrency ransom, which builds on similar cases across the globe. The victim, identified as A.T., was abducted on November 1, 2022, outside Thornhill Plaza at gunpoint and forced into a vehicle, which transported her to Barrie. She was confined in a garage, stripped, beaten, and burned, and allegedly threatened with a syringe containing fentanyl.

The captors reportedly demanded $1 million in Bitcoin for her release. 

The court filing also accused Moore’s partner, S.M., of being under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. S.M. was convicted in 2024 and scheduled to be sentenced on October 3 in Oshawa. 

Detective Renwick, case file coordinator, testified that the kidnappers kept saying they wanted money as well as cryptocurrency and Bitcoin. He added that at one point, Moore threatened to shoot A.T. unless she gave in to sexual intercourse. The victim escaped through the garage door and sought help from the neighboring household.

The victim’s identity was barred from disclosure in March 2024 to protect her.  The court ruling shows the severity of crimes committed when cryptocurrency is used as fuel for extortion and the judiciary’s willingness to impose penalties that discourage such crimes. 

Rising crypto-linked robberies highlight gaps in law enforcement response

The case builds on top of similar crypto-related assaults, often called wrench attacks, where victims are physically coerced into handing over their digital assets. Some law enforcement, including Canadian authorities, are choosing to treat such cases similarly to armed robbery and kidnapping. 

Just two days ago, Cryptopolitan uncovered a wave of crypto-related crimes in London, in which thieves target victims’ phones and drain their wallets. The report featured victims Christian d’ippolito and Neil Kotak, who lost their assets on Coinbase and Binance accounts after their phones were stolen in late-night encounters along the streets.

Such cases end up unresolved, with little to no help from police follow-ups, leaving victims frustrated and financially exposed. 

The report revealed that one in four UK residents aged 18 to 34 owns crypto, and men are three times more likely to be targeted, making them the prime victims of crypto-related assaults. Coinbase reimbursed some users without explanation, while Binance, on the other hand, has not returned any stolen funds. 

Some experts in the industry insisted that stolen crypto can be traced, but authorities rarely pursue investigations. Alec Burns, featured on the Cryptopolitan story as one of the victims who lost $40,000, has reported that the police in the UK have made no progress, showing the need for law enforcement to scale up and target crypto-related criminals. 

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