MARTEL WILLIAMS, a 27-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to an attempted robbery of Bitcoin, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The plea was entered in federal court in Hartford, Connecticut, and stems from events that occurred in August 2024.
As detailed in court documents, the attempted robbery was part of a violent scheme involving multiple individuals and began when Williams and his associates planned to target a victim linked to a significant Bitcoin theft. The investigation revealed that the intended victims were the parents of an individual who had stolen hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.
In the days leading up to the robbery, Williams and two accomplices traveled to Connecticut, where they rented vehicles and gathered supplies, including air rifles and communication devices. They stalked the victim and their parents for two days, waiting for the right moment to invade their home and demand the transfer of Bitcoin. However, concerns over being captured on security cameras and communication issues led them to abandon the plan just before a crew from Florida arrived to execute it.
Williams was arrested on July 17, 2026, and has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He is currently released pending sentencing, which is yet to be scheduled.
This case is part of a broader investigation involving multiple entities, including the FBI’s New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Stephanie T. Levick. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia recognized the contributions of various law enforcement agencies that assisted in the investigation and prosecution.
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