Bristol Court Jails Three Men for Violent Crypto Home Invasion

Bristol Crown Court sentenced three men for a violent home invasion aimed at stealing cryptocurrency, amid a rise in publicly verified crypto-related physical coercion incidents worldwide.

Terroll Paul, 31, received a six-year prison term Oct. 15. Pierre Madzou, 30, was sentenced to five years and six months, while Mohamed Samagassi, 37, received five years. All three pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary in August.

The men entered the Bristol home on May 15 and demanded cryptocurrency. The occupant suffered a head injury that required hospital treatment. His teenage sister alerted police, who arrested the men at the scene. No cryptocurrency was taken.

The victim said in a statement read at sentencing: “I am constantly so frightened, paranoid and completely petrified.”

Worldwide, 52 publicly verified crypto-related physical coercion incidents were recorded in the first half of 2026, compared with 39 in the same period of 2025. Home invasions rose to 20 from one. The count covers violence or threats used to seek access to digital assets, including incidents involving relatives or other third parties. It includes only publicly verified cases.

Recorded financial exposure from those incidents reached $124,180,400, up from $10,532,242 a year earlier. The measure includes demands and funds later frozen or recovered, so it is not a confirmed theft total.