Kidnapping, Bitcoins and a Year of Searching: Where Tony from 5Dimes Disappeared

Kidnapping, Bitcoins and a Year of Searching: Where Tony from 5Dimes Disappeared

William Sean Creighton, better known as Tony 5Dimes, was very different from many of his colleagues. He did not boast of his wealth, did not behave like a major, did not shine in parties. He saw perfectly well how the owners of illegal offices "fall" one after another, how the grip of laws was tightening and interest in their business was growing not only among the police, but also among those who like to wear shoulder straps and work in both directions.

But all caution turned out to be useless - by the time the whole of Costa Rica knows about you, it is already impossible to hide.

How it all happened

In the fall of 2018, Tony was kidnapped right on the road. His car was cut off by a van, from which armed men jumped out, quickly shoved the businessman inside and took him away.

A few hours later, the kidnappers got in touch: Creighton's wife received a call and demanded a ransom of $5 million in bitcoins. She collected a million and transferred it, but no one saw Tony alive again.

Since then, the trail has ended. Neither the Costa Rican OIJ, nor former FBI agents, nor Interpol were able to find the kidnappers.

Investigation or imitation?

In the first months, the search was more like a circus: different structures interfered with each other, published mutually exclusive versions. There was a feeling that someone was deliberately slowing down the process.

The police even broke through the house where Tony was allegedly kept, opened the foundation. Then there were arrests. It turned out that the whole family was involved in the kidnapping - from the granddaughter to the grandmother. But none of them spoke.

One year later

All this time, rumors were circulating: Tony could have staged the disappearance himself, gone into the shadows on a deal with the authorities, or hiding under protection. His company denied the death, and his colleagues said out loud that Creighton was too smart to get caught like this.

But in September 2019, the end was put on it: the police stumbled upon an abandoned farm near San Jose, and the remains were found there. The examination confirmed: it was him. With so many stakeholders, it would be impossible to fake the result.

What does it mean

Tony's story has become a cold reminder for the entire iGaming market: either you legalize, as Paul Phua did, for example, or you live your whole life with an eye over your shoulder.

This is the world of illegal gambling – money, risks, and, ultimately, too high a price for the "freedom" of business.