Suspects posing as delivery persons in California home invasion robbery targeting crypto wealth arrested in Texas
By Carlos E. Castañeda
Two Texas residents were arrested in an attempted home invasion robbery in California involving fake delivery persons targeting cryptocurrency wealth, authorities said on Wednesday.
The robbery happened on Sept. 5 in San Jose and the images of the men were captured on a home surveillance camera. The San Jose Police Department said in a press release that the suspects were seen attempting to deliver a package to the person when one of the suspects, who was wearing a ski mask, pulled out a firearm.
A San Jose Police Department spokesperson said the resident was not home at the time, and the suspects fled before police arrived. Automated license plate reader cameras were able to identify the suspect vehicle, and detectives identified two Dallas residents, 20-year-old Damian Vielma and 19-year-old Jeremiah Clybourn, as the suspects, according to police.
Detectives discovered evidence linking both suspects to multiple crimes spanning various jurisdictions, including in Atherton, California, and typically targeting victims with high amounts of cryptocurrency wealth, while posing as delivery personnel, police said.
San Jose police spokesperson Stacie Shih said that it was unclear how the suspects in the San Jose case knew the victims had large crypto holdings.
“The suspects were targeting victims that were known for their cryptocurrency wealth, so our detectives are actively investigating to see how they obtained that information,” Shih said.
On Sept. 24, San Jose police detectives, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Dallas Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, located and detained Clybourn and Vielma in Dallas. During a search warrant at the associated home in Dallas, detectives found evidence of the crime and multiple firearms, including the one brandished in the San Jose incident, according to police.
Vielma and Clybourn were arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail on charges of attempted robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and firearm-related crimes. As of Wednesday morning, the two were awaiting extradition back to Santa Clara County.
The incidents were the latest in a what authorities see as a global trend in the crypto world of violent incidents, including murder and kidnapping and torture, targeting people with large cryptocurrency holdings.
In May, three Tennessee men were indicted on multiple federal charges in connection with an alleged multimillion dollar crime spree targeting cryptocurrency owners in California. In September 2025, two Texas brothers were charged with with kidnapping and robbing a Minnesota family of $8 million in cryptocurrency. And in March 2025, a violent home invasion in a Chicago, Illinois suburb involving multiple suspects, including one who posed as a food delivery driver, targeted the victim’s cryptocurrency accounts.
Ahmed Banafa/San Jose State University Professor
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Ahmed Banafa, a San Jose State University professor and tech expert who wrote a book about blockchain and cryptocurrency, told CBS News Bay Area that people with large crypto wallets often post about it on social media to try to gain clout and followers.
“There are consequences and sharing too much information is exposing yourself,” Banafa said.
Banafa said he’s also heard of data breaches that will leak the identities of wallet holders on crypto exchanges.
“The reason for [criminals] to go straight to the home of that person or persons is because there is no way for you to go and do it by yourself as a criminal,” Banafa said.
Owners of the crypto wallets have to initiate the transfer, which is why these home invasion-style robberies are becoming more common. Banafa said any transfers made outside an exchange can be very hard – if not impossible – to trace.
“One thing about digital wallets and cryptocurrency, it’s one way,” said Banafa. “Once you transfer that one, there’s no way for you to get it back. Nothing. It’s gone. It’s over.”
Police believe there might be additional victims who haven’t come forward yet. Anyone with information about the case or similar cases was asked to contact Detective Ledesma #4842 of the department’s robbery unit at 4842@sanjoseca.gov or by calling 408-277-4166.
