A 23-year-old cryptocurrency holder in Vendée, France, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on November 4 after firing a handgun at men who attempted to enter his father's residence, French press reported. The case stems from a Halloween afternoon incident that followed an earlier kidnapping attempt against the same man.
Sequence of Events
According to court reporting, the man had fled an earlier assault and arrived at his father's house to take refuge and call authorities about his attackers. About 30 minutes later, the same group arrived at the residence and tried to force entry, with the two men inside struggling to keep them out.
Amid the panic, the man went upstairs and used a Glock pistol to fire at and scare one of the assailants who was climbing to gain access. The attackers fled afterward, leaving a cellphone at the scene. The weapon was found at the residence, and police had to scuffle with the men to enter and take them into custody.
Neighbors told the court that two hooded men kicked the front door of the residence, corroborating the man's account. The incident took place on Halloween afternoon as children were in the street, and a bullet fired by the man ended up above a garage door just meters from nearby children.
Prosecutor: Revenge, Not Self-Defense
Olivier Dubief, the vice-prosecutor in charge of the case, said the man acted recklessly in retaliation for the kidnapping attempt. "By the time he fired, the gentleman was no longer in danger. The man had come down from the balcony. This is an act of revenge, not self-defense," Dubief said.
Prior Targeting and Penalties
Defense lawyer Jean-Baptiste Colombani highlighted that his client had been targeted in another crypto kidnapping in 2022. "My client has cryptocurrency; we know that there are leaks of this data. Last time, he ended up in a safe in Nantes and was able to escape," Colombani said. The man had also previously been convicted in 2025 for involvement in a similar incident.
Along with the prison term, the man was banned from carrying a weapon for 15 years and barred from Vendée for five years.
Rising Crypto-Targeted Crime in France
The case comes as France has become a hotbed for this kind of crypto crime, with more than 70 crypto-related crimes reported by June, according to French authorities. So-called wrench attacks—incidents involving violence against crypto holders in an effort to gain access to their holdings—are increasing in the country, and some holders are beginning to fight back.
