In Port Moody, British Columbia, a woman answered her door in the spring of 2024, only to be confronted by two men in Canada Post uniforms claiming they had a package to deliver. This encounter escalated into a terrifying 13-hour ordeal for the woman, her husband, and their 18-year-old daughter. The home invaders, part of a gang, conducted a brutal cryptocurrency heist, ultimately fleeing with more than $2 million worth of bitcoin.
The assailants, including a Hong Kong man specifically brought to Canada for the attack, subjected the family to waterboarding, sexual assault, and death threats. The daughter was forced to strip naked and was sexually assaulted on camera to coerce her parents into divulging banking and cryptocurrency information. Their nightmare ended the following morning when the teenager managed to escape to a friend’s home. Police arrived around 8:30 a.m. to find the father, naked from the waist down and bound, while the mother was discovered gagged and wrapped in a blanket.
Details regarding the horrific incident of April 27, 2024, were revealed in the sentencing of 35-year-old Tsz Wing Boaz Chan, who was sentenced to seven years in prison by a British Columbia provincial court on November 14. Chan pleaded guilty to charges of break and enter, unlawful confinement, and sexual assault, while his accomplices remain unidentified and at large. According to Port Moody police spokesperson Const. Sam Zacharias, it is likely that Chan will face deportation upon the conclusion of his prison term.
The investigation revealed that the family was specifically targeted for their cryptocurrency holdings, a trend that has seen several cryptocurrency investors in British Columbia face real-world violence. A warning was issued by the Delta Police Department and Richmond RCMP months earlier, highlighting that high-value digital asset owners were being targeted by criminals posing as delivery personnel or authorities. This method allowed the suspects to gain entry to the victims’ homes and extract information related to their cryptocurrency accounts.
Judge Robin McQuillan’s remarks during Chan’s sentencing depicted a coldly calculated plan executed by the invaders. Their attack involved meticulous preparation, including surveillance of the home. The family was restrained, and the parents were subjected to extreme physical and psychological torment as the attackers demanded access to their cryptocurrency accounts.
During the night of the attack, the father endured multiple sessions of waterboarding, which brought him to the brink of death, all while being forced to listen to the assault of his wife and daughter. The attackers threatened brutal violence if he did not comply with their demands. Despite previously having been defrauded out of funds in 2018, the couple still had significant assets in their cryptocurrency accounts, which were ultimately drained during the attack.
The following morning, Chan and his accomplices attempted to escape. After a series of harrowing events, the father managed to break free from his restraints as his daughter had already alerted the police. Officers discovered numerous pieces of evidence left by the invaders, including weapons, clothing, and surveillance equipment that had been planted around the home in preparation for the robbery.
Chan’s involvement was traced back to his entry into Canada on April 5, 2024, with his connections to the other suspects cemented through his DNA match to evidence gathered at the crime scene. He confessed to being paid approximately $50,000 for his role in the crime, which the court subsequently ordered him to repay to the victims as restitution.
The judge noted the overwhelming impact on the family; they faced financial ruin from the loss of their assets, struggling to manage three mortgages. The daughter, still reeling from the assault, reported ongoing psychological distress and carries a weapon for her protection during her outings. As Chan serves his time, the hunt continues for his accomplices, revealing the broader issue of violence targeting cryptocurrency investors in the region.
