Missouri Man Pleads Guilty in Failed Bitcoin Kidnapping Plot

bitcoin kidnapping plot — A 27-year-old Missouri man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in a failed 2024 plot to kidnap a Connecticut family and steal their bitcoin.

Martel Williams of St. Louis admitted to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. According to prosecutors, Williams and two associates were recruited to force their way into a target’s home and coerce him into transferring cryptocurrency to accounts they controlled.

The crew traveled to Connecticut in August 2024, rented vehicles, and gathered supplies including air rifles. They surveilled the target and his parents for two days but abandoned the plan after fearing they were captured on security cameras and becoming frustrated with their coordinators.

A second crew from Florida was subsequently arrested for violently kidnapping the target’s parents in a related attempt. The target has been linked in local reports to a prior bitcoin theft worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Williams was arrested in July 2026 and remains free pending sentencing.