Three Tennessee men arrested in December on charges they kidnapped and robbed individuals in San Francisco, San Jose and Sunnyvale appeared in federal court in April and May.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern California said the three men, Elijah Armstrong, Nino Chindavanh, and Jayden Rucker, were arrested in California in December and two of them appeared this week in federal court in San Francisco.
The men were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted robbery, and attempted kidnapping
Prosecutors said Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, and Chindavanh was arrested on Dec. 22 in Sunnyvale. Chindavanh made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on April 14, and Armstrong and Rucker made their initial appearances in federal court in San Francisco on May 11.
According to the indictment filed in March, Armstrong, 21, of Tennessee; Chindavanh, 21, of Tennessee; and Rucker, 25, of Tennessee, are alleged to have stolen from the victims.
“These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency. The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “I want to commend our law enforcement partners for the quick work done in identifying and apprehending these individuals and assure the public that we will not let our guard down and continue to do all we can to ensure this does not happen again.”
“The indictment of these individuals underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities from violent and organized criminal activity. As alleged, this was a calculated scheme involving robbery, kidnapping, and the theft of millions in cryptocurrency - crimes that put innocent people at risk and threaten the sense of safety we all rely on,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo.
Armstrong, Chindavanh, and Rucker are currently in federal custody. Armstrong and Rucker appeared in federal court on May 12, for appointment of counsel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. Chindavanh is next scheduled to appear on June 26.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of conspiracy to commit interstate robbery, attempted robbery and attempted kidnapping as well as a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, San Francisco Police Department, San Jose Police Department, Sunnyvale Police Department and Los Angeles Police Department.
