Bitcoin Kidnapping Plot Lands Man 15-Year Prison Sentence

Adam Iza, 26, of California, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in an attempted Bitcoin robbery and kidnapping in Danbury, Connecticut, in August 2024. 

According to the official report, he will also serve three years under supervision after prison for helping plan, fund and coordinate the operation, according to U.S. prosecutors. 

U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala gave Iza the 180-month sentence in Hartford. The case began on August 25, 2024, when Danbury police arrested six Florida men accused of taking part in a violent carjacking involving a Lamborghini Urus and kidnapping two people inside the vehicle. 

The people taken were not the main target. According to court documents and statements made in court, they were the parents of a person who had taken part in the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin. Iza and others then planned to use the kidnapping as a way to get some of that Bitcoin. 

The plan started with a Bitcoin fortune

The case shows how the large amount of Bitcoin involved in the earlier theft became the reason for another crime. Rather than going directly after the person linked to the Bitcoin, the group targeted his parents.

Prosecutors said Iza played a role in putting the plan together. He communicated with some of the people involved through cellphone calls and encrypted messaging apps.

Iza helped fund the operation

Iza did more than communicate with the kidnappers. According to the court records, he gave money to support the operation and directed some of its logistics.

Another alleged co-conspirator had met the victims’ son during an altercation at a Miami nightclub in July 2024. That person later stayed in contact with some of the kidnappers, helped provide money and arranged transportation and places for the participants to stay.

The kidnapping attempt came to light on August 25, 2024, when Danbury police arrested six Florida men linked to the carjacking and kidnapping. Those six men have since pleaded guilty.

The case did not end with their arrests. Investigators continued looking into other people who were allegedly involved in planning and supporting the operation.

Iza pleaded guilty before the sentence

Iza had been detained since September 24, 2024, after he was charged with unrelated federal offenses in the Central District of California. 

On June 1, 2026, he pleaded guilty in Connecticut to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, also known as Hobbs Act Robbery. His guilty plea later led to the 15-year prison sentence handed down by Judge Nagala. 

Iza’s brother, Saif Faiq, also pleaded guilty to the same offense and is waiting to be sentenced. Six people accused of carrying out the carjacking and kidnapping have pleaded guilty, while other alleged co-conspirators are still awaiting trial.

The investigation involved the FBI New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force, FBI Los Angeles, FBI St. Louis and the Danbury Police Department. Members of the Connecticut State Police and local police departments also worked with the task force.

Crypto kidnapping cases have appeared elsewhere

Meanwhile, this is just one of many recent kidnapping cases involving cryptocurrency. Just last year in Minnesota, Texas brothers Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were charged after allegedly holding a family hostage during a robbery involving $8 million in cryptocurrency. 

According to the information provided, the incident began when one victim was taking out a garbage can. 

The brothers allegedly approached him with an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun, took him into the garage and tied his hands with zip ties before bringing him into the house. 

France reports more crypto-linked cases

In addition, France has also reported more crimes connected to the crypto sector. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said authorities recorded 77 verified cases of kidnapping, abduction, extortion or attempted extortion linked to cryptocurrency since the start of 2026. 

That compares with 45 such cases recorded during the whole of 2025, according to the figures shared at a summit hosted by the Association for the Development of Digital Assets. 

The U.S. case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck. U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan also thanked several federal and state offices for helping with the investigation and prosecution. 

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