A Norwegian billionaire named Tom Hagen is now in prison and being prepared for questioning in his wife’s murder. Hagen is a real estate mogul who reported that his 69-year-old wife was kidnapped in late 2018. The kidnappers were allegedly asking that he fork over $10 million in Monero funds if he ever wanted to see his wife again.
Hagen May Have Been Involved
Hagen, age 70, reported that he came home one night to find the ransom note in the couple’s bathroom asking for the money. The note was allegedly riddled with spelling errors and warned Hagen that his wife would be killed if he involved the local police authorities. Hagen decided he would take a chance and called law enforcement in on the case.
Upon arrival, the police said that there were no signs of forced entry, but that forensic evidence suggested signs of a struggle in the couple’s living room. They later claimed that Hagen’s wife – Anne-Elizabeth Falkevik – may have hid in the main bedroom until she was found and abducted by the alleged kidnappers.
The fact that the criminals were asking for Monero funds suggests they have a history in crypto, or at least know enough about it to understand that Monero possesses quasi-anonymous properties. This is what makes it such a prime target amongst crypto jackers and other perpetrators.
In the crypto jacking process, for example, a hacker will overtake a person’s computer or digital device without their knowledge or consent. From there, they begin mining cryptocurrency (usually Monero) and make a hefty profit, while the owner of the device gets nothing minus the high energy bills that they often receive at the end of each month. It’s an ugly and unfair method of garnering digital funds.
Hagen was involved in a lawsuit at the time of his wife’s alleged kidnapping. The lawsuit centered around a consulting company called Pareto and a steel firm called Severstal in Russia. The lawsuit was for $4 million and involved an alleged accounting scandal that cost Hagen and his business partner a hefty sum. At the time of writing, the case is still pending.
Please Help Us Out
Police asked Hagen to remain silent for about 2.5 months regarding his wife’s kidnapping granted her life was truly at stake. In January 2019, however, police asked the public for help in resolving the case, requesting that anyone who knew anything to come forward and tell authorities. Chief detective Tommy Broske explained in a statement:
Our main theory is that the victim was kidnapped by unidentified perpetrators at her home. We have no proof she is alive, but we haven’t received any indication that she isn’t alive either.
Hagen has since been arrested, as police now believe the kidnapping was a setup to cover up an alleged murder.