Belgian Court Slams 12-Year Sentence on Trio for Abducting Crypto Coach's Wife

High-Profile Kidnapping Fuels Growing Wave of Crypto Crimes in France

Listen up, crypto world! A Belgian court just threw the book at three crooks who snatched the wife of a top crypto coach, Stéphane Winkel. This case is making waves as part of a chilling surge of crypto kidnappings sweeping through France.

The Brussels Criminal Court didn't mess around, slamming the kidnappers with a hefty 12-year prison sentence for their brazen daylight abduction. These thugs thought they could mess with the wife of a well-known crypto investor and trading coach, but they picked the wrong family to mess with!

Last December, these scumbags ambushed Winkel's wife right outside their home in Forest, Brussels. They shoved her into a van and took off, but Winkel wasn't about to let them get away with it. He sounded the alarm, and the police chased down the kidnappers' van near Bruges. The cops busted the perps and freed the victim, but the drama didn't end there.

The court ordered these lowlifes to cough up over a million euros in civil damages to the victim, and they weren't buying the kidnappers' sob story about acting under duress. Nice try, losers!

While these three goons are behind bars, the masterminds pulling the strings are still out there somewhere. The hunt is on to bring down the big bosses of this twisted operation.

Winkel's case is just the tip of the iceberg. France is turning into a hotbed for crypto-related kidnappings, with a recent case involving a 26-year-old TikTok influencer in Juvisy-sur-Orge near Paris. Four thugs grabbed him, demanding €50K in crypto, but they let him go when they found his accounts were nearly empty. Talk about a close call!

But that's not all. There was the horrific abduction and mutilation of a wealthy crypto investor's father, held for a staggering €7 million ransom. And let's not forget the attempted kidnapping of the CEO of Paris-based crypto exchange Paymium's daughter, who was saved by some quick-thinking bystanders and her partner. These criminals are getting bold, and it's time to fight back!

Last year, France topped the charts with 6 out of 22 confirmed crypto-related kidnappings worldwide. That's more than any other country, and it's a wake-up call for the crypto community.

So why France? Well, it's a breeding ground for high-profile crypto founders and companies like Ledger and Paymium. And don't forget the 2020 Ledger data breach, which spilled the beans on thousands of wallet buyers' names and addresses. It's like painting a target on their backs for these ruthless kidnappers.