Dutch Court Hears Crypto Kidnapping Case; Suspect Released

A dispute over cryptocurrency investments escalated into the kidnapping, extortion, and degrading abuse of a man in Nieuw-Vennep, Dutch prosecutors said Aug. 4 during a preliminary court hearing in Amsterdam.

Three suspects are accused of holding the victim captive in a car on May 1 while attempting to extort roughly $69,000 from him. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the victim told investigators he was threatened with a firearm and warned that his eyes would be gouged out and his fingers cut off if he failed to comply.

Prosecutors said investigators recovered screenshots from a video that allegedly shows the victim held in a wooded area near Nieuw-Vennep, forced to strip naked, and subjected to humiliating abuse, including being urinated on. The suspects are also accused of threatening to publish the footage as part of the extortion attempt.

Under Dutch extortion law, compelling someone through violence or the threat of violence to surrender money or property carries a statutory maximum of nine years in prison. If committed jointly by multiple perpetrators or accompanied by severe violence, the statutory maximum increases to 12 years. Abducting or detaining someone against their will carries up to eight years in prison, while hostage-taking carries a statutory maximum of 15 years.

According to local reports, the suspect identified as Younes B., 24, a martial arts instructor who teaches children, appeared in court facing allegations of leading a violent and intimidating campaign and engaging in what prosecutors described as “extremely frightening and degrading acts.”