3 Men Accused Of Planning 2024 Danbury Kidnapping Tied To Cryptocurrency Dispute

DANBURY, CT — Three men from California, Missouri and Georgia have been charged in a widening federal investigation into a 2024 kidnapping in Danbury that authorities say was connected to a dispute over stolen cryptocurrency.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that a superseding indictment returned Oct. 28 and unsealed this week adds charges against Adam Iza, 25, of California, and Saif Faiq, 22, of St. Louis, Missouri. Both are now charged alongside James Schwab, 22, of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, who was previously indicted in February.

All three face counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.

The case stems from an Aug. 25, 2024, incident in which Danbury police charged six Florida men with carjacking a Lamborghini Urus and abducting two people inside the vehicle. Investigators later learned the victims were the parents of a man suspected of involvement in the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.

According to court documents, prosecutors say Schwab, Iza and Faiq coordinated the scheme. Schwab had been involved in a July 2024 altercation with the victims’ son at a Miami nightclub and later communicated with some of the participants, providing money and arranging travel and lodging, authorities said.

Iza allegedly used cellphones and encrypted messaging apps to direct logistics and also supplied funding. Faiq is accused of recruiting participants, traveling to Connecticut for a planned home invasion, working with Iza and conducting surveillance on the victims.

Schwab was arrested Jan. 29 and is free on a $1.5 million secured bond. Faiq was arrested Nov. 12 and remains in custody awaiting arraignment in Connecticut. Iza has been detained since September 2024 in an unrelated federal case in California.

The kidnapping conspiracy charge carries a potential life sentence. The robbery conspiracy count carries up to 20 years.

Six other people charged in the carjacking and kidnapping have pleaded guilty.

U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan said the indictment is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by several FBI field offices and the Danbury Police Department, with assistance from state and local law enforcement.