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4 Men Arrested After Allegedly Plotting to Kidnap Jeweler
The suspects are accused of planning to kidnap a Miami jeweler and rob him of his cryptocurrency.
From left to right, Zacary Briggs, Aaron Hammond, Tre’von Anthony Neal, and Evan Puckett. The four men are accused of planning to kidnap and rob a jeweler of his cryptocurrency. (Image courtesy of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance)
Miami—Four men were arrested in Broward County, Florida, earlier this month after allegedly planning to kidnap and rob a Miami jeweler.
The men were identified in court documents as: Zacary Briggs, 22; Aaron Hammond, 21; Tre’von Anthony Neal, 20; and Evan Puckett, 18, though they went by nicknames in their intercepted communications.
According to an affidavit filed in federal court, on Jan. 6, a confidential source informed authorities that a man he referred to as “Jack” was gathering a group of people to kidnap a jeweler who worked in the Seybold Building in downtown Miami, a popular space for jewelers.
The source said Jack had been in contact with the jeweler online and wanted to exchange a large amount of cryptocurrency for cash, according to the affidavit.
Jack included the informant in a group chat on the Telegram app with the three other men known as “Dot,” Swipey,” and “Tim,” a collection of individuals Jack referred to as the “goons.”
Swipey is believed to be Puckett, authorities said, though they did not specify which nicknames the other men went by.
Jack sent the group a screenshot of the jeweler’s digital wallet, which showed he held about $2 million in cryptocurrency.
Jack and his partner, Tim, agreed to provide the group with $3,500 to facilitate the kidnapping.
The plan was to hold the jeweler hostage until the crypto ransom was paid, according to the affidavit.
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The men were identified in court documents as: Zacary Briggs, 22; Aaron Hammond, 21; Tre’von Anthony Neal, 20; and Evan Puckett, 18, though they went by nicknames in their intercepted communications.
According to an affidavit filed in federal court, on Jan. 6, a confidential source informed authorities that a man he referred to as “Jack” was gathering a group of people to kidnap a jeweler who worked in the Seybold Building in downtown Miami, a popular space for jewelers.
The source said Jack had been in contact with the jeweler online and wanted to exchange a large amount of cryptocurrency for cash, according to the affidavit.
Jack included the informant in a group chat on the Telegram app with the three other men known as “Dot,” Swipey,” and “Tim,” a collection of individuals Jack referred to as the “goons.”
Swipey is believed to be Puckett, authorities said, though they did not specify which nicknames the other men went by.
Jack sent the group a screenshot of the jeweler’s digital wallet, which showed he held about $2 million in cryptocurrency.
Jack and his partner, Tim, agreed to provide the group with $3,500 to facilitate the kidnapping.
The plan was to hold the jeweler hostage until the crypto ransom was paid, according to the affidavit.
The men planned to bring firearms, including Mac-10s and .223 assault-style rifles, said the affidavit.
The group asked the informant to provide a vehicle for the kidnapping so the men could scope out the area prior to the kidnapping.
Tim arranged for the informant, known as “D,” to meet with Puckett to pick up the car.
Instead of sending D, investigators sent an undercover agent posing as D to meet Puckett, providing him with a black 2023 Chevy Tahoe. The car was outfitted with audio and video recording devices.
On Jan. 13, authorities tracked Neal’s cellphone as he and another suspect went to meet with Puckett to commit the kidnapping.
In a recording, three members of the group were heard talking about the kidnapping plot, the affidavit states.
One man was heard saying that “one knock” should be enough to subdue the victim, but that he didn’t want to cause serious damage.
According the affidavit, another man replied that he didn’t want the victim to stab or shoot him, presumably in self-defense, while a third man replied he would kill the victim.
The men were intercepted by authorities when they parked the car before the kidnapping could take place.
Briggs, Hammond, and Puckett were arrested immediately, followed by Neal, who had fled toward a nearby business, a short time later.
Authorities interviewed the four men after taking them into custody.
Neal said his role was to protect the “crew” if the jeweler tried to defend himself with a weapon, said the affidavit. He had a knife on him, it said, but he claimed he didn’t intend to use it.
Puckett admitted the group intended to rob the victim for his cryptocurrency, authorities said, but only planned to use the guns he brought if he needed to defend himself.
Briggs told authorities at first that he was hired as a driver for $500 per day, but later admitted he was aware of the plan, though insisted he would only act as the driver.
If he felt threatened, Briggs told authorities he planned to run the aggressor over with the truck.
Briggs also said the plan was that Puckett would meet with the jeweler under the pretense that he wanted to exchange watches for cryptocurrency, though there wouldn’t really be any watches.
He said Puckett was known for scamming people out of cryptocurrency.
Hammond told authorities the plan was to lure the jeweler to the car, rob him, and then let him go.
Following their arrests, the men were booked into Broward Sheriff’s Office jail.
They are facing federal charges of kidnapping conspiracy, attempted conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery, and attempted Hobbs Act extortion.
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