California crypto owner robbed of $6.5m by suspects wielding guns posing as delivery drivers, prosecutors say
A California crypto owner was robbed of $6.5 million by gun-wielding suspects who were posing as delivery drivers, prosecutors have said.
Three men, Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker, all from Tennessee, were indicted by a grand jury on Monday and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and kidnapping.
The trio was arrested in the Greater Los Angeles area in December 2025 in connection with a spate of violent robberies specifically targeting cryptocurrency owners, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of California.
“These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian.
According to the indictment filed on March 31, 2026, Armstrong, 21, of Tennessee; Chindavanh, 21, of Tennessee; and Rucker, 25, of Tennessee, are alleged to have conspired to kidnap and rob individuals in San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles in efforts to steal cryptocurrency from the victims.
The defendants traveled from Tennessee to commit the alleged crimes and posed as delivery men to gain access or attempt to gain access to the victims’ homes, the indictment stated.
They then allegedly used firearms, duct tape, and zip ties to assault their victims, including by tying up a victim to force them to divulge their account information.
In one of the robberies, a victim was forced at gunpoint to sign into his cryptocurrency accounts before one of the suspects allegedly transferred approximately $6.5 million from the accounts to a wallet controlled by the co-conspirators.
“The indictment of these individuals underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from violent and organized criminal activity. As alleged, this was a calculated scheme involving robbery, kidnapping, and the theft of millions in cryptocurrency - crimes that put innocent people at risk and threaten the sense of safety we all rely on,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo.
“The FBI will not tolerate criminals who travel into our communities with the intent to terrorize our citizens. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners across the Bay Area and beyond to identify, investigate, and bring to justice anyone who believes they can exploit or endanger the public for personal gain.”
Armstrong, Chindavanh, and Rucker are currently in federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Armstrong and Rucker appeared again in court on Tuesday and Chindavanh is next scheduled to appear on June 26 for a status hearing.