Man Accused of Orchestrating France Crypto Kidnappings Sentenced to 25 Years
Summary
- A man identified as the organizer behind kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency industry figures in France was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- The group allegedly carried out serial kidnappings, ransom demands and torture targeting the wealthy and cryptocurrency industry figures, with victims suffering severed fingers.
- The court ordered the defendant to pay 1 million dirhams to each victim targeted by the group.
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A man identified as the organizer behind a string of kidnappings targeting figures in France’s cryptocurrency industry has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Cryptopolitan, citing local outlets and French media, reported on May 23 that Morocco’s Tangier Court of Appeal handed the sentence to Mohamed Amine Bajou, a dual French-Moroccan national.
Bajou has been accused of running a kidnapping ring that targeted wealthy people and cryptocurrency industry figures in France. The charges included forming a criminal organization, kidnapping, unlawful detention and torture for ransom, attempted premeditated murder, illegal weapons possession and drug trafficking.
One of the most prominent cases involved David Balland, co-founder of hardware wallet maker Ledger. Balland and his partner were abducted from their home in central France in January 2025, and the kidnappers demanded a 10 million-euro ransom. Police later rescued Balland after part of one of his fingers had been severed.
In another kidnapping involving a cryptocurrency industry figure in May 2025, the victim also reportedly suffered the amputation of a finger.
The court also ordered Bajou to pay 1 million Moroccan dirhams, or about $110,000, to each victim targeted by the group.
Bajou was arrested in Tangier in June 2025 following an Interpol red notice request. He denied all charges during the trial.
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