PANews reported on December 16 that according to Decrypt, 24-year-old Catherine Colivas kidnapped a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family with the help of three accomplices and threatened to cut off his fingers to force him to pay $40,000 in Bitcoin. Although the prisoner pleaded guilty, she was not imprisoned. Catherine Colivas faced a maximum sentence of 25 years at a hearing in Victoria, Australia. She pleaded guilty to kidnapping, extortion, reckless injury, theft and gun possession. However, she only received a community correction order - the equivalent of community service in Australia.
After matching on a dating app, Colivas and the Saudi royal went out for drinks and dinner. The royal then walked Colivas home. When the royal walked Colivas to the door, he was ambushed by three men, including Colivas' boyfriend. The victim was then tied up with cables, unable to leave, and intimidated. Since he was a cryptocurrency trader, the victim provided Bitcoin and had to call a friend to complete the $40,000 transfer. His keys were then stolen and the criminals raided his home. Court documents show they stole clothing, a PlayStation 5 and several iPhones. The victim was then released and immediately went to the police to report the incident, and then stayed in the hospital overnight with injuries to his head and wrist.
