Father of cryptocurrency entrepreneur ‘had finger chopped off' after being kidnapped for ransom
French police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom, the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets.
The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris, the prosecutor's office said Sunday.
'The victim turned out to be the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrencies, and the incident was accompanied by a ransom demand,' its statement said, without giving their names or other specifics about their identities.
Police investigators located the hostage in a house in the Essonne region south of Paris, from which he was rescued on Saturday night, the prosecutor's office said.
It said he was treated for injuries but gave no details. French media reported that the alleged hostage-takers cut off one of the man's fingers.
Police detained five people — four were in or close to the house where the man was held captive, while the fifth was at the wheel of a vehicle thought to have been used for the alleged abduction, the prosecutor's office said.
It said the police investigation is looking at an array of possible criminal charges, including kidnapping 'with torture or a barbaric act.'
In January, police said a co-founder of French crypto-wallet firm Ledger, David Balland, was also kidnapped with his wife from their home in the region of Cher of central France. Read More Why Block Stock Is Rising Today
Police said they made 10 arrests and that the alleged kidnappers demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency from another of Ledger's co-founders.
A raid by France's elite National Gendarmerie Intervention Group unit that specializes in hostage situations freed Balland the next day, followed the day after that by the liberation, again by the GIGN, of his wife, found tied up in a vehicle, police said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
21 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
French Billionaire Families Team Up in Cycling Sponsorship Deal
French shipping tycoon Rodolphe Saade has agreed to co-sponsor the country's biggest cycling team in a move aimed at raising the profile of his billionaire family's transport and media empire. The Saade clan's CMA CGM SA will provide financial backing to a team that's set to be taken over later this year by retail giant Decathlon, which is controlled by another of France's wealthiest families, the Mulliez.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Family of Hyde Park boy killed by BPS bus says company, driver were negligent, according to new lawsuit
Advertisement No one has been criminally charged in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Suffolk District Attorney's office and Boston police. Charles resigned in May, shortly before a scheduled termination hearing, city and district leaders have said. The Globe has been unable to reach him, and city and state officials have declined to release any identifying information about the driver except for his name. About a month after the crash, Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper announced an independent probe into the company's safety policies and performance. Related : Transdev, an $11 billion French company with US headquarters in Illinois, has served as BPS's bus contractor since 2013. BPS contracts with the company to maintain the district's bus fleet, its three bus yards, and hire and manage school bus drivers, the district has said. Advertisement Transdev didn't immediately respond to a request for comment in response to the lawsuit. 'We are committed to ensuring that Lens Joseph's life will not be defined by his death. We are steadfast in seeking justice for Lens and his family members, and we will not waver in that pursuit,' said the family's attorneys, Matthew Fogelman and Alan Klevan, in a statement. The Joseph family The Joseph family lawsuit seeks a jury trial, and asks for 'damages in an amount sufficient to compensate them' for their injuries, pain and suffering, and expenses, the complaint said. The Josephs' complaint includes details that have been previously released by city and school officials regarding Lens's death. Charles, who had been driving for about two years as a BPS bus driver for Transdev, had been in a series of crashes prior to Lens's death. Charles had been removed from the road by Transdev for training less than two weeks before the fatal Hyde Park crash, according to details previously released by Advertisement On the day of the crash, Charles was serving as a substitute school bus driver, and had never taken the route that included Lens and his cousin, the city and school leaders have said. A few minutes before the crash in Hyde Park, Charles struck a vehicle in Mattapan before leaving the scene, the Globe has reported. Charles did not follow protocol and report to a school bus yard safety office the collision, which happened while Lens, his cousin, and other children were aboard the bus, officials have said. Related : The Joseph family's complaint alleges Transdev was negligent in the hiring, training, and supervision of its drivers. It was also 'negligently implementing' policies and procedures for the safe transportation of children on buses, the complaint said. Transdev also failed to use safety equipment on the buses, which are owned by BPS, according to the complaint. That includes stop-arm cameras, extended stop arms, crossing arms, surround cameras, pedestrian detection sensors, and automatic braking systems, the complaint said. Charles, the bus driver, acted 'negligently and/or recklessly' within the scope of his employment, according to the complaint. Neither the city of Boston or Boston Public Schools are named as defendants in the complaint. Lens's cousin also has been deeply impacted by the crash. She feared for her own safety while watching the bus run over Lens, and she has suffered severe emotional distress as a result, including anxiety, depression, sadness, fear, and sleep disturbances, the complaint said. Lens's aunt and grandmother witnessed the moments immediately after the collision and also were traumatized by it, the lawsuit said. Since the crash, Transdev audited its drivers to ensure they had appropriate and valid credentials, Wu and Skipper have said. Advertisement BPS has also strengthened its safety protocols since the Hyde Park crash, including regular meetings with Transdev safety leadership to review all crashes and safety incidents, and the company's responses. There are about 400 'incidents' per year involving a BPS school bus, the city and school officials have said, generally one or two crashes per day across the fleet. Most involve minimal damage, they have said. They also said Transdev was accelerating regular refresher training of all drivers on pickup, drop-off, and crash protocols. Concerns about Boston Public Schools bus safety remain. The City Council's Education Committee, John Hilliard can be reached at
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Man guilty in 2023 NOTL cyclist death now facing multiple charges including boating while impaired, striking swimmer and fleeing scene in Muskoka
Ontario Provincial Police have charged a 39-year-old Niagara Falls man with numerous offences after he allegedly operated his boat while impaired and struck a swimmer in Muskoka Lakes before fleeing the scene. Just before 5 p.m. Saturday, emergency responders were called to Skeleton Lake near Skeleton Lake Road 5 in Muskoka Lakes Township after numerous callers reported a boating collision. First responders arrived quickly, and the victim, a 22-year-old Georgina man, was rushed to hospital. He was later taken by air to a Toronto-area hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. Bracebridge OPP said officers found the operator of the boat and placed him under arrest. Richard Moore has been charged with impaired operation causing bodily harm, refusing to provide a breath sample, failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm and failing to comply with a release order. Moore is awaiting sentencing on an unrelated matter. He recently pleaded guilty in the hit-and-run death of 84-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake cyclist Nestor Chemerika. Chemerika, a fitness enthusiast and retired GM worker, had nearly finished his daily bike ride and was only about 250 metres from his home when he suffered fatal injuries on the evening of July 13, 2023. A truck driven by Moore hit Chemerika and catapulted him to the bottom of a 1.2-metre irrigation ditch. Moore fled the scene. Moore is to appear at assignment court on Wednesday to set a date for Judge Michael Bordin to deliver his sentence on the cyclist matter. With files by Bill Sawchuk Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
