Key Highlights
- A fake deliveryman entered the home of tech investors and tied up resident Joshua, forcing $11M in crypto transfers.
- The house belongs to venture capitalist Lachy Groom, previously linked to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- The attack showed signs of an organized crime group, with coordinated phone calls and personal details used to threaten the victim.
A shocking crypto robbery in San Francisco has grabbed the attention of the tech world after a man posing as a delivery worker walked into a home in the Mission District and stole about $11 million worth of cryptocurrency.
The house belongs to tech investor Lachy Groom, and the victim inside the home was his friend and fellow investor, Joshua.
A simple knock that turned into a nightmare
The incident happened on Saturday evening. It started the same way any regular delivery would. Doorbell camera footage that has been shared online shows the suspect holding a white box and saying he had a package for “Joshua.”
When Joshua opened the door and confirmed his name, the man asked him to sign for the package. He even asked for a pen—a small thing that made him look harmless. The moment he stepped inside, everything changed. A loud sound was heard, and the attacker shoved Joshua inside the house.
Once inside, the suspect pulled out a gun and tied Joshua with duct tape. What followed was more than an hour of fear and pressure.
The forced transfers and organized setup
According to someone familiar with the investigation, the robber had people on speakerphone during the attack. These voices, described as “foreign voices listing personal information,” repeated details about Joshua. This scared him further and made it clear the group had studied him beforehand.
The attacker kept hitting him and forcing him to unlock his phone and crypto accounts. Over roughly 90 minutes, large amounts of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) were moved out of Joshua’s wallets. The suspect also took his phone and laptop before escaping.
Joshua suffered bruises and minor injuries but is recovering.
A house with well-known connections
The house where this happened is owned by Lachy Groom, 31, a successful venture capitalist known in Silicon Valley for his early work at Stripe. He is considered part of the “Stripe Mafia,” a nickname for ex-Stripe employees who went on to start their own companies.
Multiple people familiar with their past say Groom once dated Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, before Altman got married in 2024. Their relationship wasn’t public before now. Groom has spoken highly of Altman before, once posting, “Sam is the most supportive, generous, inspiring person I know.”
The groom bought the home from Altman’s brother in 2021. Joshua has been living there with him.
Crypto investors becoming targets
This robbery has added to the growing worry that crypto investors are becoming targets for physical attacks, not just online hacks.
Industry experts say keeping large amounts of crypto in self-managed wallets can be risky. One investor put it simply: “Self-custody of crypto seems like a good idea until it isn’t.”
Security experts have been warning that criminals watch social media, news mentions, and public events to figure out who might be holding large amounts of digital assets.
A community on edge
The level of planning in this attack, from the fake delivery to the coordinated communication, has left many in the tech community shaken. Several investors say privately that this incident feels like a wake-up call about the physical risks of holding crypto.
The investigation is ongoing, and early signs suggest the attacker was not working alone.
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