Five People in London Convicted for Imprisoning French Crypto Tycoon and Extorting Through Violence

According to Decrypt, the Inner London Crown Court in London, UK recently handed down a verdict on a violent kidnapping case targeting cryptocurrency holders. Five men were found guilty of falsely imprisoning two French cryptocurrency millionaires, with Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman additionally convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion. It is reported that the two victims (both French men in their 20s) were ambushed in Shadwell, London last July, taken to an apartment in Canning Town, East London, and held for up to 52 hours, during which they suffered torture including being stripped, bound, beaten, and having boiling water poured on them. The criminal gang demanded a ransom of $150,000, and the victims were eventually forced to transfer $30,000. Prosecutors pointed out that the lifestyle prominently displayed by the victims on social media may have attracted the attention of the criminal gang. Notably, convictions were secured in this case without either of the two victims appearing in court to testify, with police describing it as a "rare case".