Belgian Court sentences three for crypto coach’s wife kidnapping
A Belgian court has sentenced three for the abduction of a crypto coach’s wife, marking another high-profile case amid the rising wave of crypto kidnappings in France.
The Brussels Criminal Court court has sentenced three kidnappers to 12 years in prison for the abduction of the wife of crypto investor and trading coach Stéphane Winkel, as initially reported by local news agency La Dernière Heure.
The incident occurred in December last year outside their home in Forest, Brussels, where the victim was forcibly taken and held hostage in a van. After Winkel raised the alarm, police chased the vehicle and ultimately stopped it near Bruges, freeing the victim and apprehending the suspects.
The court also ordered the convicted kidnappers to pay over one million euros in civil damages to the victim, rejecting kidnappers’ claims that they acted under duress.
While the three perpetrators were held accountable, the court said that the masterminds behind the attack remain unidentified.
Winkel’s case is part of a disturbing wave of crypto-related kidnappings sweeping across France. Most recently, a 26-year-old TikTok influencer in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris, was abducted by four men demanding €50K in crypto. The attackers targeted the influencer due to his social media presence, but released him when they found his crypto accounts nearly empty.
Other cases include the abduction and mutilation of a wealthy crypto investor’s father, who was held for a €7 million ransom, and an attempted kidnapping of the CEO of Paris-based crypto exchange Paymium’s daughter, who was saved by bystanders and her partner.
These incidents reflect a growing trend from last year, with France accounting for 6 of the 22 confirmed crypto-related kidnappings worldwide — more than any other country, according to Cybernews .
France likely emerged as a hotspot for crypto kidnappings due to its concentration of visible crypto founders and companies like Ledger and Paymium. The 2020 Ledger data breach, which exposed the names and home addresses of thousands of wallet buyers, further amplified French users’ vulnerability to these attacks.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
CyberLeek threatens full GTA 6 leak if Solana token hits $30 million
Micron now earns more than Apple! Apple urgently needs chips, Micron holds pricing power.
Micron Technology reported a net profit of $37.7 billion in the fourth fiscal quarter, surpassing Apple's $29.8 billion for the same period, thus becoming the more profitable company for the quarter. The memory shortage has given Micron strong pricing power, with its CEO stating that they “cannot meet customer demand.” The revenue guidance for next quarter is as high as $61.5 billion. Meanwhile, Apple's gross margin continues to be pressured by persistent memory costs, having dropped from 49.3% to a guidance range of 46.5%.
The "Eye of the Storm" in the Global Economy: Debt Crisis in Developed Countries
The IMF warns that developed economies are becoming the "eye of the storm" for global debt risks. Countries such as the United States and France accumulated high levels of debt during periods of low interest rates, but now rising interest rates are pushing up repayment costs, and fiscal consolidation faces political resistance. BofA Securities points out that the United States is facing declining tax revenues, France has structural income decline issues, and the UK and Japan are also under pressure. The deteriorating debt sustainability of developed countries may impact global financial markets through shocks in interest rates and capital flows.
Crypto prices
More
