As became known on August 11 during a hearing at the criminal court in Amiens, a French couple endured three break-ins at their home in less than a month after criminals targeted their house, believing it belonged to cryptocurrency millionaires.
The victims—a farmer and a bank manager, both around 30 years old—purchased the house in the Mondidier area of the Somme department two years ago. As defense lawyer Giuseppina Marras reported, they were unaware that the house had previously belonged to a wealthy retired couple whose tax documents and home address had been leaked on the darknet.
The darknet leak triggered a series of break-ins carried out by three different groups of criminals who tried to extort cryptocurrency from occupants who did not actually possess any.
According to a local report, the first break-in occurred on June 24, but the couple's dogs chased the intruders away. Two days later, a second group broke into the house, tied up one of the victims, and beat the other. The attackers live-streamed the assault on the messaging app Snapchat but then realized they had targeted the wrong people and fled.
After the second attack, the couple installed a security system. On July 17, an alarm signal scared off a third group of intruders.
Two men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested on August 7 following an investigation conducted by the Mondidier gendarmerie's investigative unit. Investigators identified the suspects using CCTV footage, mobile communication data, and DNA evidence found on a ticket from the A1 highway.
The 20-year-old suspect stated in court that he was hired via the Telegram messenger to break down a door for a promised reward of between $17,000 and $34,600. He claimed he agreed to the job to pay off a $4,600 debt accumulated by his mother, who was facing eviction.
The 21-year-old suspect, a car-sharing service driver from the Ile-de-France region, received $346 for driving four men to the house. Law enforcement officers seized a crowbar, balaclavas, and cable ties from the car's passengers.
Both defendants, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty, citing financial desperation, misjudgment of the situation, and greed.
The court found both men guilty, citing the severity of the crime. The 20-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison, with 18 months suspended and 18 months in custody. The 21-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with nine months suspended and nine months in custody. Both were banned from entering the Somme department for three years.
The victims were not present at the court hearing. Their lawyer stated that the couple intends to sell the house due to ongoing safety concerns.
