According to FOX 10 Phoenix, investigators in the case believe two teenagers identified as Jackson Sullivan and Skylar LaPelle were extorted into attempting to steal crypto by two other individuals, known only as “Red” and “8” on the secure and private messaging app Signal. The pair of would-be thieves were reportedly provided $1,000 for information on the target and materials used in the theft. Material collected by law enforcement from the alleged thieves also included a 3D-printed gun, although it had no associated bullets and it was unclear whether it was functional.
Notably, the teenagers are said to have initially posed as delivery drivers when they arrived home, reminiscent of the $11 million crypto heist that took place in San Francisco’s Mission Dolores neighborhood last year. Similar to that case, Sullivan and LaPaille are said to have entered the home and restrained their victims with duct tape.
According to a Fox News report, police were alerted to the plot by a teen’s mother, who called police after seeing concerning messages on her son’s phone. It is also said that a person inside the home during the invasion was able to contact law enforcement for assistance. Both teens are now out on $50,000 bail and ankle monitors are used to track their whereabouts.
Because of the extortion aspect, the incident sounds like a real-life version of an episode of the television series Black Mirror titled “Shut Up and Dance”. In the episode, a teen is filmed in compromising situations on her laptop by a hacker and then forced to complete a number of real-world tasks under the threat of releasing a compromising video to her friends, family, and the rest of the world.
There is also a common Bitcoin email scam associated with this type of extortion where the sender claims to have a video that they will reveal to the world if funds are not sent to a specific Bitcoin address by a certain date. Of course, there is no actual video, and the intention is merely to scare victims into sending Bitcoin.
🚨Serious PSA🚨
If you are a doxed bitcoiner or crypto person in France.
Holiday. Go.
The wrench strikes every day. My friends are impressed.
If you are talking about Bitcoin or crypto you should not find any information in France.
Partez.
– Joe Nakamoto (@JoeNakamoto) 5 February 2026
Physical crypto theft, often referred to as a “$5 wrench attack,” has become an increasingly prevalent issue over the past few years, with data indicating that 2025 was the biggest year for this type of crime on record. The same week that this most recent notable incident occurred, celebrity gossip outlet TMZ received a ransom letter allegedly linked to the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping that demanded an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin be sent to a specific address. However, the letter was later found to be an attempt to take advantage of the situation surrounding the kidnapping, and the alleged perpetrator was said to have no connection to the Nancy Guthrie situation, according to Fox News.
Various data breaches – such as the personal data leak of individuals who purchased crypto hardware wallets from Ledger and the situation in France where a tax agent is accused of selling crypto holders’ personal information to criminals – are becoming a serious issue when it comes to the security of digital cash that cannot be reversed by a third party once sent. Of course, this immutability goes out the window when it comes to centrally-issued stablecoins like Tether and “decentralized finance” DeFi apps, which have their own centralized safety nets for emergency situations. That said, there are also ways to distribute trust to multiple parties without giving up the financial sovereignty associated with Bitcoin through wallets that take advantage of features like multisignature addresses.
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