Horrific details of an extreme home invasion robbery linked to cryptocurrency were fully disclosed in a sentencing ruling released by the court on Thursday (November 20).

Tsz Wing Boaz Chan was sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in the shocking crime. The judge noted that Chan was one of four assailants who targeted a couple and their daughter, ultimately stealing the family’s entire Bitcoin savings worth approximately $1.6 million (over CAD 2 million).

Judge Robin McQuillan wrote in the ruling: "This was a meticulously planned crime involving prolonged extreme violence, resulting in significant financial loss and deep, lasting emotional trauma for the victims."

**Judge: Acts "Designed to Completely Terrify Victims"** Police responded to a welfare check request on the morning of April 28, 2024. Upon arrival, officers found the husband exiting the residence, naked from the waist down with his hands bound behind his back. Inside, the wife was discovered in the master bedroom—tied up with zip ties, blindfolded, gagged, and wrapped in a blanket.

The daughter was not present at the time, having earlier escaped to a nearby friend’s home to call 911.

The police intervention ended a 13.5-hour ordeal that began the previous night when two men dressed in Canada Post uniforms and wearing medical masks knocked on the family’s door.

When the daughter went to call her father, two additional men forced their way inside, and all four subdued and restrained the family.

The ruling stated: "The men wore blue medical or dark gloves and masks, communicated in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, and referred to each other by numbers 1 through 4."

They confiscated the family’s phones and computers, demanded passwords, "and threatened to cut or kill family members if they refused."

According to an agreed statement of facts, the victims endured extreme abuse: the parents were subjected to repeated waterboarding, the daughter was sexually assaulted and recorded, and the father was stripped naked and brutally beaten. The judge explicitly used the term "tortured."

Judge McQuillan wrote: "These acts were clearly designed to completely terrify the victims." "All of this occurred in their own home, a place that should have been their sanctuary. That sense of security may be lost to them forever."

Investigations revealed the suspects had pre-installed surveillance cameras in the home and studied the family’s routines and financial details.

After transferring the victims’ cryptocurrency, the perpetrators submerged all electronic devices in a bathtub filled with water and bleach to destroy evidence.

Court documents noted the father had previously "flaunted his wealth" within the Chinese community, boasting about his investment success—though he had actually fallen victim to a scam in 2018 and even disclosed losses to one of the suspects over the phone.

The robbers drained multiple crypto accounts belonging to the couple, transferring assets totaling around $1.6 million.

**Case Background: Suspect Claimed He Was Recruited to Canada to "Make Money"** Chan pleaded guilty to charges including break-and-enter with intent to commit robbery, unlawful confinement, and sexual assault.

He told the court he was approached in Hong Kong by an acquaintance offering "an opportunity to make money in Canada." Chan claimed he was "blinded by the prospect of big earnings" and believed it was merely "beating someone up at their home and leaving," expecting to earn about CAD 50,000.

However, the judge noted Chan realized upon arriving in Canada that the situation was far more severe than he had understood.

Per the ruling, after arriving in Canada, Chan was instructed to take a taxi to a secondary location and then stayed at a house for three weeks. During this time, "there were three other men in the house, all wearing masks and told not to speak to each other."

A week before the crime, Chan was ordered to call a contact daily for specific task instructions.

Chan rented the van used in the crime with a newly obtained international driver’s license—a detail that ultimately led police to identify him as a suspect.

He returned to Hong Kong three days after the crime and received payment but inexplicably came back to Canada, where he was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in July 2024.

After accounting for time served, his actual sentence is five years and nine days, after which he will be deported to Hong Kong.

**Victims: The Nightmare Lingers** The ruling listed multiple aggravating factors, including high premeditation, extreme violence, and the prolonged duration of the crime. Though Chan was not the mastermind, the judge found he was "fully aware and participated in the execution."

Victim impact statements revealed both the father and daughter described enduring prolonged "torture."

The daughter said she now suffers frequent nightmares, carries weapons when outside, and avoids staying at home. "What was once a place of comfort has become a source of pain for her."

The father stated in his submission that each waterboarding session made him feel "brought to the edge of death." His legs were severely beaten, leaving extensive bruising, subcutaneous bleeding, and muscle swelling. He still experiences pain, numbness, and poor circulation, unable to sit or stand for long periods.

He also said hearing his wife and daughter being "violated and humiliated" while bound and blindfolded has caused him long-term "flashbacks, anxiety, shame, and guilt."

**Judge: Strong Deterrent Needed Against Transnational Crime** While the sentence was based on individual circumstances, the judge emphasized the case’s transnational nature and the need for a "stern warning": "Anyone considering coming to Canada to commit such heinous crimes must understand this behavior will never be tolerated."

Local police confirmed in a Wednesday press release that investigations remain ongoing, with detectives pursuing other suspects involved.