Man whose parents were kidnapped after $245M Bitcoin theft has pleaded guilty to federal charges
A Connecticut man whose parents were kidnapped after he took part in a $245 million Bitcoin theft has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges and has agreed to testify against his co-defendants, according to court documents that were unsealed this week.
Veer Chetal, 19, from Danbury, Connecticut, was one of three men charged with stealing 4,100 Bitcoins from a victim in Washington, D.C., in an elaborate online scam last August. The trio lived large after the heist, spending millions of dollars on cars, jewelry, rental mansions and nightclub parties, prosecutors say.
A week after the theft, Chetal's parents were assaulted and kidnapped briefly in Danbury in a failed ransom plot aimed at Chetal, who the attackers believed had a large amount of cryptocurrency, authorities said.
Chetal's criminal case was unsealed on Monday in federal court in Washington, revealing his guilty pleas in November and his agreement to cooperate with federal authorities investigating the Bitcoin theft. It also revealed new allegations that he was involved in about 50 similar thefts that raked in another $3 million between November 2023 and September 2024.
Another man charged in the Bitcoin theft, Malone Lam, was also among 13 people indicted by a federal grand jury in May in an alleged online racketeering conspiracy involving cryptocurrency thefts across the U.S. and overseas that netted more than $260 million, including the $245 million Bitcoin theft.
Chetal is facing 19 to 24 years in prison, a fine between $50,000 and $500,000 and restitution to the victim that has yet to be determined, according federal sentencing guidelines and his plea agreement.
His lawyer, David Weinstein, declined to comment, saying Chetal's case is still pending.
In September, federal agents with a search warrant raided Chetal's apartment in Brunswick, New Jersey, and his parents' home in Danbury in connection with the $245 million Bitcoin heist. Authorities said they found more than $500,000 in cash, expensive jewelry and watches and high-end clothing. Federal agents also said Chetal had $39 million worth of cryptocurrency that he turned over to investigators.
Authorities alleged Chetal, Lam and Jeandiel Serrano were involved in online 'social engineering' attacks against cryptocurrency holders. Lam would send victims alerts about unauthorized attempts to access their crypto accounts, while the others would call the victims posing as representatives from well-known companies like Google and Yahoo and gain access to their accounts, authorities said.
Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers for Lam and Serrano on Friday.
A week after the theft, six Florida men were accused of kidnapping Chetal's parents in broad daylight in Danbury. One of them crashed a car into the parents' Lamborghini, while others pulled up in a van, police said. The attackers forced the couple out of their vehicle, beat them, put them in the van and tied them up, police said.
The plot was foiled, and the attackers were arrested quickly because there were eyewitnesses who immediately called police, and an off-duty FBI agent happened to be driving by at the time of the kidnapping, authorities said. Federal agents said a seventh man who was later arrested in connection with the kidnapping had previously gotten into a dispute with Chetal that turned physical at a Miami nightclub.
The attack on the couple is part of an increasing trend worldwide in robbers using violence to steal cryptocurrency.
Chetal, who was attending Rutgers University in New Jersey at the time of the $245 million theft and later withdrew, was born in India and came to the U.S. with his family when he was 4 years old in 2010, according to court documents. His father was granted a foreign worker's visa, and his wife and children obtained related dependent visas.
Federal authorities said Chetal could face deportation as a result of the criminal case.
Authorities say Chetal's father lost his job at Morgan Stanley because of the kidnapping and his son's connection to it.
Chetal was initially released from federal custody on his own recognizance. But a judge ordered him detained until trial earlier this year after federal prosecutors said they discovered Chetal was involved in another crypto theft worth $2 million in October that he didn't tell them about, after he had begun cooperating with federal authorities.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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Man whose parents were kidnapped after $245M Bitcoin theft has pleaded guilty to federal charges
A Connecticut man whose parents were kidnapped after he took part in a $245 million Bitcoin theft has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges and has agreed to testify against his co-defendants, according to court documents that were unsealed this week. Veer Chetal, 19, from Danbury, Connecticut, was one of three men charged with stealing 4,100 Bitcoins from a victim in Washington, D.C., in an elaborate online scam last August. The trio lived large after the heist, spending millions of dollars on cars, jewelry, rental mansions and nightclub parties, prosecutors say. A week after the theft, Chetal's parents were assaulted and kidnapped briefly in Danbury in a failed ransom plot aimed at Chetal, who the attackers believed had a large amount of cryptocurrency, authorities said. Chetal's criminal case was unsealed on Monday in federal court in Washington, revealing his guilty pleas in November and his agreement to cooperate with federal authorities investigating the Bitcoin theft. It also revealed new allegations that he was involved in about 50 similar thefts that raked in another $3 million between November 2023 and September 2024. Another man charged in the Bitcoin theft, Malone Lam, was also among 13 people indicted by a federal grand jury in May in an alleged online racketeering conspiracy involving cryptocurrency thefts across the U.S. and overseas that netted more than $260 million, including the $245 million Bitcoin theft. Chetal is facing 19 to 24 years in prison, a fine between $50,000 and $500,000 and restitution to the victim that has yet to be determined, according federal sentencing guidelines and his plea agreement. His lawyer, David Weinstein, declined to comment, saying Chetal's case is still pending. In September, federal agents with a search warrant raided Chetal's apartment in Brunswick, New Jersey, and his parents' home in Danbury in connection with the $245 million Bitcoin heist. Authorities said they found more than $500,000 in cash, expensive jewelry and watches and high-end clothing. Federal agents also said Chetal had $39 million worth of cryptocurrency that he turned over to investigators. Authorities alleged Chetal, Lam and Jeandiel Serrano were involved in online 'social engineering' attacks against cryptocurrency holders. Lam would send victims alerts about unauthorized attempts to access their crypto accounts, while the others would call the victims posing as representatives from well-known companies like Google and Yahoo and gain access to their accounts, authorities said. Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers for Lam and Serrano on Friday. A week after the theft, six Florida men were accused of kidnapping Chetal's parents in broad daylight in Danbury. One of them crashed a car into the parents' Lamborghini, while others pulled up in a van, police said. The attackers forced the couple out of their vehicle, beat them, put them in the van and tied them up, police said. The plot was foiled, and the attackers were arrested quickly because there were eyewitnesses who immediately called police, and an off-duty FBI agent happened to be driving by at the time of the kidnapping, authorities said. Federal agents said a seventh man who was later arrested in connection with the kidnapping had previously gotten into a dispute with Chetal that turned physical at a Miami nightclub. The attack on the couple is part of an increasing trend worldwide in robbers using violence to steal cryptocurrency. Chetal, who was attending Rutgers University in New Jersey at the time of the $245 million theft and later withdrew, was born in India and came to the U.S. with his family when he was 4 years old in 2010, according to court documents. His father was granted a foreign worker's visa, and his wife and children obtained related dependent visas. Federal authorities said Chetal could face deportation as a result of the criminal case. Authorities say Chetal's father lost his job at Morgan Stanley because of the kidnapping and his son's connection to it. Chetal was initially released from federal custody on his own recognizance. But a judge ordered him detained until trial earlier this year after federal prosecutors said they discovered Chetal was involved in another crypto theft worth $2 million in October that he didn't tell them about, after he had begun cooperating with federal authorities.
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Parliament Hill protester 'in shock' after being blasted in face with power washer Conor McGregor floors man in wild scene at Ibiza club after partying with model GOBIN: Premier Ford is right: Canada should have the 'Castle Law,' and it did until recently Photo by Jack Boland / Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network Article content On June 12, five individuals are alleged to have attempted to steal a Lamborghini in the early hours of the morning in Vaughan and attempted to break into a person's dwelling while wearing disguises. A resident of the home is alleged to have discharged a firearm during the incident. Now, that resident is charged with committing criminal offences relating to his possession and use of that firearm. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content Days later, masked car thieves were thwarted by Premier Doug Ford's OPP security detail at his home and Toronto police arrested and charged four suspects. Premier Ford discussed that incident and also said of the Vaughan homeowner who was charged, 'He should get a medal for standing up. It's like down in the U.S. — we should have the castle law.' The premier also commented, 'Just imagine all the unfortunate people that don't have security there at their house.' He added about the thieves stopped by his security detail, 'Thank God the police got you, and I never did.' Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or GOBIN: Premier Ford is right: Canada should have the 'Castle Law,' and it did until recently Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content Premier Ford's acknowledgment that most people must rely on themselves and not a 24/7 security detail as their first line of defence is commendable. What he might not realize is that the castle doctrine is not an American invention. Until very recently, it was the law in Canada. Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The castle doctrine is an extension of the principle dating back to before Confederation that an 'Englishman's home is his castle.' In the context of self-defence law, it means that, unlike a person who uses defensive force in a public setting, there is never a requirement for a victim of a crime to retreat on their own property as an alternative to using reasonably necessary force to defend themselves. As recently as 2011, Ontario's Court of Appeal wrote that the ability to retreat is not 'even a factor to consider when the accused is attacked in his own home.' But in 2012, the Harper government introduced Bill C-26, to expand powers of private arrests and ostensibly to provide 'simplification and clarity' to Canadian self-defence and private arrest laws, which became law in 2013. The bill repealed sections 40 and 41 of the Criminal Code, which had codified the castle doctrine, and added new language about an accused's 'role' in an incident. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Then, in 2016, Peter Khill, a former member of the Canadian Forces, confronted and killed a criminal who snuck into Mr. Khill's driveway and was breaking into Mr. Khill's truck in a dark environment at 3:00 a.m. A jury unanimously voted to acquit Mr. Khill after he asserted he acted in self-defence. On appeal, Justin Martin of the Supreme Court of Canada cited Bill C-26's changes to the law and said that the jury should have been told to consider Mr. Khill's 'role' in the incident, stating, 'Where an accused opts to stand their ground or, as in this case, advance while armed towards a perceived threat rather than de-escalating or reassessing the situation as new information becomes available, a trier of fact is entitled to account for this role when assessing the reasonableness of the accused's ultimate act.' Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Imagine that — a jury was required to be instructed that a homeowner might be at fault for choosing to 'advance' on one's own truck in one's own driveway while it's being broken into, or to want to be armed when doing so. A new trial was ordered and Mr. Khill was convicted of manslaughter under the new legal standard after having originally been acquitted. It may turn out that the Vaughan homeowner who discharged a firearm this month would have been found guilty under Canada's previous self-defence laws. What cannot be disputed is that Canada had the castle doctrine until 2013 when Parliament overhauled self-defence rules, and that Mr. Khill is only a 'criminal' because of those changes. That is unjust, and Parliament should listen to Premier Ford and reverse this 12-year experiment in eliminating centuries of tradition in our legal system. — Marty Gobin is a partner at Gobin & Leyenson LLP, a law firm in Oshawa. He holds a Master of Laws in Canadian common law from Osgoode Hall Law School and is also an instructor at George Brown College, where he has taught courses relating to provincial offences, the law of evidence, and criminal summary conviction procedure. Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
