Crypto boss 'chained up and electrocuted man before taunting him with chainsaw'
A cryptocurrency boss worth £73,000,000 has been accused of chaining up, electrocuting and 'torturing' an Italian tourist for weeks.
37-year-old John Woeltz was arrested in New York after the victim managed to escape the high-end Soho apartment he was being held in and find a police officer.
Woeltz has been accused of helping lure tourists like Carturan to New York before torturing them to get access to their lucrative cryptocurrency accounts.
Police said the tourist met Woeltz on May 6 and went back to his townhouse in Soho before Woeltz snatched the Italian's passport.
The man said he was dangled from the top of a five-storey stairwell, tasered with his feet in water, pistol-whipped, and threatened to have his legs cut off with a chainsaw if he didn't give Woeltz access to his cryptocurrency accounts.
The torture was documented on a Polaroid camera. Police found photos of the victim strapped to a chair.
Woeltz has been charged with assault and unlawful imprisonment, but denies any wrongdoing.
His family has claimed he is 'kind, caring and loving' – but 'controlled by other people'.
A relative told the New York Post: 'He was hijacked and manipulated and scammed. I think they stole his money as well.'
After the victim managed to escape the so-called 'house of horrors' where he was being held, he waved a nearby police officer over and was taken to the hospital.
Woeltz was arrested shortly after. Witnesses said a SWAT team descended upon the high-end residence to arrest the crypto boss.
The luxury apartment where Woeltz was staying – and tortured his victim – charges $75,000 each month.
It's the latest incident of violence related to cryptocurrency.
In February, three British men in Spain were arrested over the kidnapping of another cryptocurrency broker.
The victim had agreed to get drinks at an apartment in Costa-del-Sol. Once there, he was told to hand over 30,000 Euros (£25,000) in cryptocurrency from his customers' accounts or be tortured and killed. More Trending
Another man, Jacob Irwin-Cline, from Portland, Oregon, claimed had over $120,000 in cryptocurrency stolen after being abducted and 'drugged' by a man he thought was his Uber driver in London.
After smoking the cigarette his driver offered him, Irwin-Cline said he fell unconscious for the next half an hour.
When he came to – still feeling the effects of what he believed was a powerful drug nicknamed 'Devil's Breath' – Irwin-Cline left the car and discovered his phone was missing.
After gaining access to his accounts again, the software developer discovered his cryptocurrency accounts had been 'wiped' of his life savings of more than $120,000.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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