Texas brothers who held Minnesota family at gunpoint for 8 hours plead guilty to $8M crypto robbery

Two Texas brothers have pleaded guilty to federal robbery charges after holding a Minnesota family at gunpoint for more than eight hours and forcing the transfer of over $8 million in cryptocurrency, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Isiah Angelo Garcia, 25, and Raymond Christian Garcia, 24, both of Waller, Texas, entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery to one count each of Interference with Commerce by Robbery.

From Texas to Minnesota: how the scheme unfolded

According to court documents, the brothers traveled from Texas to Minnesota specifically to carry out the scheme. On the morning of September 19, 2025, they kidnapped a man and his family at gunpoint at their home in Grant, Minnesota, demanded access to the victim’s cryptocurrency accounts, zip-tied the family, and held them at gunpoint for over eight hours.

Isiah Garcia, aided and abetted by his brother, then abducted the primary victim, referred to in court documents as Victim 1, to the family’s cabin in northern Minnesota, where he forced him to retrieve additional cryptocurrency storage devices and transfer the funds held on those devices.

The armed kidnapping and robbery also disrupted the broader community, the incident canceled a local high school football game.

After returning to Texas, Raymond Garcia reported that the AR-15-style firearm he used in the kidnapping had been stolen. Law enforcement arrested both brothers in Texas on September 22, 2025.

Once in custody, Isiah Garcia confessed, admitting that he and his brother had driven to Minnesota, held the family at gunpoint, tied them up with zip ties, and driven Victim 1 to the cabin.

Guilty pleas and restitution

In their guilty pleas, both defendants admitted to using firearms to threaten the victims and facilitate the robbery. The Garcia brothers ultimately forced Victim 1 to transfer more than $8 million in cryptocurrency. They have agreed to pay over $8 million in restitution and each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said in a statement: “Violent schemes carried out for financial gain undermine the safety and security of our communities. When individuals resort to intimidation and force, they can expect a swift and unified law enforcement response.”

FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson added: “No one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. The kinds of violence and greed displayed by Raymond and Isiah Garcia will always be aggressively investigated by the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”

A rising threat

The case is not an isolated incident. Security researchers report a 75% increase in crypto-related assaults and kidnappings in 2025 compared with 2024, with estimated losses of $101 million in the first four months of 2026 alone.

Federal prosecutors have pursued similar cases, in May, authorities unsealed an indictment accusing three men of a theft spree that allegedly netted at least $6.5 million after suspects posed as delivery drivers to gain entry and use force to extract crypto.