Second Crypto Investor Surrenders in Manhattan Kidnapping, Torture Case

Epoch Times

5 days ago

A second cryptocurrency entrepreneur has turned himself in to police in connection with the alleged abduction and prolonged torture of an Italian man inside a luxury Manhattan townhouse, authorities said Tuesday.
William Duplessie, 32, faces a range of charges, including kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to police.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office didn't immediately return a request for comment from NTD News.
His surrender comes four days after the victim—a 28-year-old Italian national—managed a dramatic escape from the SoHo residence, where he told police he had been held captive, beaten, and threatened for nearly three weeks.
Duplessie's arrest follows that of John Woeltz, 37, another crypto investor, who was
Both men have been described in online profiles and
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Woeltz was described as a silicon valley investor and a former board member at Sprocket, a nonprofit economic development organization and entrepreneurship hub based in Paducah, according to a 2020 interview with The Paducah Sun.
In a
'Like many in our community, we are shocked and saddened by these events. These allegations are deeply troubling and feel profoundly out of character from the person we came to know. Our thoughts are with everyone affected,' according to the Kentucky-based news outlet.
Stealing Bitcoin
According to prosecutor Michael Mattson, the victim arrived in New York City from Italy in early May and was lured to the eight-bedroom townhouse on May 6, where the alleged scheme to steal his Bitcoin began, Mattson told a Judge on Saturday.
Over the next 17 days, the man told police he was subjected to a range of abuses: his wrists bound, shocked with electrical wires, pistol-whipped, cut on the leg with a saw, and forced to smoke from a crack pipe. At one point, he said, his captors dangled him from the top of a staircase and threatened to kill him if he did not provide the password to his Bitcoin account, according to Mattson.
The victim said he was led to believe his family was also in danger if he refused to cooperate. Fearing for his life, he finally agreed to give up the password on Friday morning, May 23. When his captors left to retrieve his computer, he seized the opportunity to escape.
A search of the townhouse uncovered many pieces of evidence, including cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition, and polaroid photos showing the victim with a gun pointed at his head and a crack pipe in his mouth.
The victim was hospitalized with injuries consistent with his account, including wrist wounds and facial cuts, Mattson said.
The case comes amid a surge in violent crime targeting cryptocurrency holders. Similar incidents have been reported internationally and across the United States, including the recent rescue of a crypto entrepreneur's father in Paris after attackers severed one of his fingers, and a failed abduction attempt of another entrepreneur's daughter.
Last August, a Connecticut couple was kidnapped in a ransom plot linked to a $240 million crypto heist allegedly involving their son.
A recent FBI report found that internet crime losses soared to $16.6 billion in 2024, with cryptocurrency theft accounting for the largest share at over $6.5 billion—up nearly a third from the previous year.
Woeltz was arraigned May 24 on charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a firearm, and was ordered held without bail, according to court records.
Mattson said he posed a flight risk due to his access to a private jet and helicopter and ordered him to surrender his passport. He is due back in Manhattan criminal court next week.
Authorities indicated that additional suspects may be involved, referring to an 'unapprehended male' mentioned in court records. The investigation remains ongoing, and the victim's name has not been released due to privacy concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From NTD News