London: An international crime gang posing as tradesmen launched a failed attempt to kidnap a billionaire Australian online gaming mogul in the Estonian capital of Tallinn in July, a court has heard. The daring attack was carried out by foreign nationals who had travelled to Estonia to abduct Tim Heath, an early adopter of Bitcoin who made his fortune through founding gambling brands that accepted cryptocurrency including Bitcasino.io and Sportsbet.
io. Australian Tim Heath has an estimated worth of $2.27 billion.
Credit: Yolo Group Investigative newspaper Eesti Ekspress reported the men had posed as painter-decorators, wore hi-vis vests and entered the stairwell of an Old Town apartment building where Heath lives. They then “beat up” the Australian, but he was able to fight them off as they attempted to drag him to a hire van. Heath, 46, is internationally known for founding Yolo Group which holds over 100 stakes in companies related to gaming or fintech.
The AFR Rich List this year estimated the low-key venture capitalist and tech founder’s wealth at $2.27 billion. Estonian authorities believe the July 29 attempting kidnapping was meticulously planned for several months, with the attackers having gathered information about Heath, his work, home and movements with hope of extracting a large ransom.
A tracking device was secretly installed on his vehicle, the court heard. The foiled plot only came to light for the first time this week during a bail hearing involving one .
