Five members of A London The gang that captured two French cryptocurrency millionaires and forced them to strip naked has been in prison for more than 30 years.
The two men’s excessive lifestyles are said to have made them targets of extortion, with the pair kidnapped while visiting London from France.
The pair, who are in their twenties and have a combined fortune of £50 million, were captured by three masked men armed with guns after traveling to buy cannabis.
The millionaires were taken hostage at Rathbone Apartments, Canning Town, in east London and tortured by the gang for 52 hours.
Heidi Stonecliffe QC, prosecuting, said the men were tied up with cable ties, beaten and had socks stuffed into their mouths while boiling hot water was poured over them.
They were told their genitals would be cut off if they did not hand over $150,000, while one man was warned his girlfriend would be raped.
One of the victims claimed he had to drink toilet water during the ordeal.
The men were given a spicy chicken wing, while their captors feasted on the rest of the twenty-piece KFC bucket.
Video footage shows the moment three gang members were arrested after a high-speed chase ended with their vehicle crashing into a lamppost (Gerson Borges pictured)
Borges, 24, would later be found guilty of blackmail and false imprisonment
George’s knife was pictured in a police evidence bag after being found by a police dog
The ordeal ended when Flying Squad officers traced a mobile phone belonging to a friend of the victims who had traveled with them in the Mercedes, leading police to the flat where the men were being held.
Video footage showed the moment gang members Julius George, 22, Adel Sineen, 18, and Isaac Bakoya, 18, were arrested after a high-speed chase ended when their vehicle crashed into a lamppost in July 2025.
Other members were later arrested, including Gerson Borges, 24, and Mohamed Osman, 29, and William Adebisi, 19.
But mastermind Ibrahim Mohamed, known as Nino and entered as ‘Fatboy’ in one of the defendants’ phones, remains on the run.
He organized the scheme from abroad and communicated with the London-based gang via WhatsApp and Snapchat, Inner London Crown Court heard.
Ms Stonecliffe said the woman was dragged from the car in the ambush, but her phone was left unnoticed in the car.
Flying Squad officers advised her on delaying techniques to give police time to rescue the victims while she spoke to them on the phone.
Jurors heard another alleged gang member tried to access the victim’s cryptocurrency wallet but was arrested by Flying Squad officers.
Borges and Osman were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit blackmail and false imprisonment
Julius George, described as the victims’ ‘armed escort’, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison after admitting having a knife.
William Adebisi, 19, was found guilty of false imprisonment and was sentenced to four years and six months in a juvenile facility
Adel Sineen, 18, was sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institution, suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work
Borges, a Portuguese national who came to Britain at the age of four, was convicted of manslaughter in Scotland in October 2019 after stabbing a man with a samurai sword during a drug deal.
He was given a seven-year prison sentence with an extended license of three years.
Osman, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit blackmail and false imprisonment, was jailed for nine years with an extended license of three years.
The court heard that Osman’s family moved to Britain from Somalia in 2001 and that he is one of eight children, with five convictions for theft.
Adebisi was found guilty of false imprisonment and sentenced to four years and six months in a juvenile facility.
George, described as the victims’ ‘armed escort’, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison after admitting having a knife.
He had seven convictions to his name, including four for possessing knives.
Sineen admitted dangerous driving but was cleared of false imprisonment.
Police chased a car carrying Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and Adel Sineen through the streets of London before the suspects crashed into a lamppost
Officers captured Bakoya, George and Sineen on foot after the high-speed chase
He was sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institution, suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Bakoya, who admitted false imprisonment, will be sentenced at a later date.
The defendants were acquitted of conspiracy to kidnap.
Judge David Richards told the men: ‘This case concerns organized crime. You all played a crucial role in the brutal treatment of two men.”
The judge thanked “the armed response team who put an end to this terrible, terrible episode.”
Chief Inspector Laura Hillier, attached to the Flying Squad, said: ‘These convictions demonstrate the Met’s determination to prosecute those involved in serious violence, even in the most challenging circumstances.
‘Our thoughts remain with the victims, who have undergone a traumatic and deeply disturbing experience.
“Significantly, this case is a rare example of such a conviction without witness testimony. It sends a clear message that perpetrators cannot assume that they can avoid justice simply because victims are unable or unwilling to testify.
“Through meticulous investigation and the presentation of a wide range of evidence, officers were able to build a compelling case and hold those responsible to account.
‘This outcome reflects our ongoing commitment to tackling serious violence, protecting vulnerable people and keeping London safe. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause fear and harm in our communities.”
