Man sentenced for ‘violent’ B.C. home invasion motivated by cryptocurrency theft

A file photo shows a Port Moody police officer's badge and uniform.

A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison on multiple charges following a violent Metro Vancouver home invasion that investigators say was part of a co-ordinated attempt to steal cryptocurrency.

The Port Moody Police Department announced the prison sentence in a news release Wednesday, more than a year and a half after the break-in at the residence in the city’s Heritage Woods neighbourhood.

While cryptocurrency theft was determined to be the primary motive in the case, authorities say Tsz Wing Boaz Chan pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including breaking and entering, sexual assault and forcible confinement, following the April 28, 2024, incident.

Chan, who is not a Canadian resident, was arrested in July of that year as he attempted to re-enter the country at the Vancouver International Airport, police said in a statement following his arrest by the Richmond RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency.

Police were initially called to the Port Moody home to conduct a wellness check on a family. Upon arrival, the officers found multiple victims suffering “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.

“This was a targeted and violent home invasion with the objective of stealing cryptocurrency,” Sgt. Sam Zacharias wrote in the statement, saying investigators were working to identify and pursue other suspects involved in the crime.

The Port Moody Police Department says Chan was sentenced by a Port Coquitlam provincial court judge on Nov. 14. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered Chan to provide a DNA sample and pay a $50,000 restitution order, according to police.

Chan had been held in police custody since his arrest last year and his sentence was reduced for time already served in custody.

“Major crime detectives worked tirelessly to bring this matter before the courts,” Zacharias said in the news release Wednesday.

“Mr. Chan did not operate alone, and the matter remains active as investigators still work to identify other suspects.”