--- title: "Man Drugs His Father’s Tea to Steal $400,000 in Crypto" description: "A 24-year-old man from Bethesda, Maryland decided to take some extreme measures to get his hands on the $400,000 worth of cryptocurrencies owned by his father." date: "2022-02-04" modified: "2022-02-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/man-drugs-father-steal-crypto" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "cryptocurrencies" - "drug abuse" - "the digest" --- # Man Drugs His Father’s Tea to Steal $400,000 in Crypto ![A 24-year-old man from Bethesda, Maryland decided to take some extreme measures to get his hands on the $400,000 worth of cryptocurrencies owned by his father.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## The Tea A 24-year-old man from Bethesda, Maryland took extreme measures to get his hands on his father's cryptocurrency holdings, which were worth $400,000 at the time. In a shocking fit of desperation, Liam Ghershony, who was struggling with drug abuse at the time, decided to poison his father with depressants so he could gain access to daddy's funds via his cellphone, [*The Washington Post* reports](). It's a grim story that shows drug abuse and obsessing over cryptocurrencies can create a lethal mix. In fact, a number of rehab clinics are starting to [offer addicts]() a way to control their obsession with cryptocurrencies specifically. "It didn’t have to be like this!" Ghershony wrote in a note he left behind, according to *WaPo*, after dosing his father's tea with a benzodiazepine, a class of drugs related to tranquilizers and Xanax. "I’m gonna give you the best retirement." ## Silver Linings Fortunately, first responders found his father collapsed on the floor two days later. He later recovered after a four-day stint in the hospital. The junior Ghershony and his father were able to cash in $350,000 after tax through a crypto investment account back in 2018. But his problematic use of drugs started to take off afterward. While ingesting copious amounts of benzodiazepines, Adderrall, and cocaine, Ghershony started to become increasingly paranoid about the joint crypto holdings. His father recalled to *WaPo* that Ghershony used to tell him that he needed to sell. The 24-year-old realized far too late that his own tolerance to benzos was a whole lot higher than his father's. He was only aiming to knock his father out to sleep — not to hospitalize him, he later told the *Post*. Ghershony, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault charge after reaching an agreement. He spent 125 days in jail, according to the newspaper, and two subsequent months in drug and mental health rehab. **READ MORE:** [He spiked his father’s tea to access $400,000 in cryptocurrency. His dad awoke two days later.]() \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on cryptocurrencies:** *[Facebook Is Reportedly Trying to Sell Off Its Botched Cryptocurrency]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()