Ledger co-founder Larchevêque demands crypto holders' right to carry guns after co-founder kidnapped for $11.5M ransom
DL News •
Revision history
4 recorded changes
Want your article here?
Promote with Leviathan NewsLedger co-founder Éric Larchevêque has argued that cryptocurrency holders in France should have broader rights to carry firearms for self‑defence after fellow Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife were kidnapped for an €11.5 million (about $11.5 million) crypto ransom in January 2025. Larchevêque made the comments in an interview with DL News, linking the attack to what he describes as growing physical security risks for publicly known crypto holders in a country with strict gun laws. According to French prosecutors, Balland and his wife were abducted from their home in central France on January 21, 2025, and held at separate locations while kidnappers demanded a ransom payable largely in cryptocurrency. A partial ransom was paid, but French police, including elite GIGN units, tracked and froze most of the funds, freed Balland the next day, and found his wife unharmed shortly after; several suspects were arrested. The ransom figure reported by DL News is around $11.5 million, highlighting the scale of the attack and the perceived wealth associated with crypto founders. Larchevêque’s call for greater gun-carrying rights is part of a broader debate over how crypto wealth and public exposure are increasing the risk of so‑called “$5 wrench attacks” – physical coercion or kidnapping to force victims to hand over digital assets. Recent cases in France and abroad, including kidnappings targeting crypto entrepreneurs and their families, have led security professionals and insurers to focus on physical‑world protections and incident response alongside technical wallet security. The episode underscores how successful tracing and freezing of on‑chain ransom payments does not remove the underlying threat of violent crime against high‑profile crypto participants, and it raises contentious questions about whether personal armament, stricter privacy, or other measures are the appropriate policy response.
AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.
More coverage
Explore the topic
More on Kidnapping
Kidnappers target Sandbox co-founder Sébastien Borget's wife as France logs 41 crypto-linked cases
lejdd.fr ·
Coinbase’s blockchain forensics helped UK police trace a kidnapping-linked theft onchain, leading to five convictions and showcasing how transparent ledgers can make the crypto economy safer than cash.
Coinbase ·
Police nab final suspect in Ledger co-founder David Balland €10M ransom kidnapping after year on the run
DL News ·
French magistrate and her mother escape 30-hour crypto ransom kidnapping as French police arrest six suspects in botched plot. [theblock](
The Block ·
Two armed brothers kidnapped a Minnesota family and forced an $8M crypto transfer before being arrested days later in Texas. They now face federal kidnapping and robbery charges after the violent nine-hour ordeal.
Cryptopotato ·
Armed gangs are hunting crypto’s high rollers—NBC News tallies 67 bitcoin-linked kidnappings across 44 countries since 2019, with 2024 and 2025 both hitting decade highs.
Nbcnews ·
Kidnappers target Sandbox co-founder Sébastien Borget's wife as France logs 41 crypto-linked cases
lejdd.fr ·
Coinbase’s blockchain forensics helped UK police trace a kidnapping-linked theft onchain, leading to five convictions and showcasing how transparent ledgers can make the crypto economy safer than cash.
Coinbase ·
Police nab final suspect in Ledger co-founder David Balland €10M ransom kidnapping after year on the run
DL News ·
French magistrate and her mother escape 30-hour crypto ransom kidnapping as French police arrest six suspects in botched plot. [theblock](
The Block ·
Two armed brothers kidnapped a Minnesota family and forced an $8M crypto transfer before being arrested days later in Texas. They now face federal kidnapping and robbery charges after the violent nine-hour ordeal.
Cryptopotato ·
Armed gangs are hunting crypto’s high rollers—NBC News tallies 67 bitcoin-linked kidnappings across 44 countries since 2019, with 2024 and 2025 both hitting decade highs.
Nbcnews ·