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Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
NYPD probing detectives who worked security at house in crypto torture case
Published May 30, 2025 • 2 minute read Photo by Yuki Iwamura / AP NEW YORK — New York City police are investigating two detectives who worked security at an upscale Manhattan townhouse where a man says he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks by two crypto investors who wanted to steal his Bitcoin, a city official said Thursday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account One of the detectives serves on Mayor Eric Adams' security detail and is believed to have picked up the victim from a local airport and brought him to the townhouse, the official said. It's not immediately clear if the other detective, who is a narcotics officer, has any connection to the incident. The detectives have been placed on modified leave pending the outcome of the inquiry, according to the official, who was briefed on the case and spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they are not authorized to discuss the internal investigation. It is not uncommon for members of the NYPD to do private security work outside of their city jobs but they need to receive prior approval. At this point, the official said, the department is looking into whether the officers received that approval. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Adams' office confirmed one of the detectives provides security detail for the Democrat, but said the mayor has no knowledge of what the officer does on his personal time. 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,' the mayor's office said in an emailed statement. 'We are disturbed by these allegations.' In response to an emailed inquiry, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed two members were placed on modified duty Wednesday. A lawyer for the labor union representing NYPD detectives said there's 'absolutely no indication' either officer witnessed any of the alleged illegal activity. James Moschella described the officers as 'outstanding public servants with distinguished careers' who were working a legitimate job driving a private client in their off-duty hours. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There is simply no way to have predicted the true activities of what by all objective accounts were legitimate businessmen,' he said in a statement emailed Friday. 'Had they actually witnessed any such activity, we are certain they would have been the first to take action to stop it. We therefore ask everyone to withhold their judgment of these members until all the facts are in.' Crypto investors John Woeltz and William Duplessie have been charged in the case. Their lawyers have declined to comment. Authorities allege that on May 6, the two men lured the victim, who they knew personally, to a posh townhouse in Manhattan's Soho neighbourhood by threatening to kill his family. The man, a 28-year-old Italian national who has not been named by officials, said he was then held captive for 17 days, as the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high. He eventually agreed to hand over his computer password Friday morning, then managed to flee the home as his captors went to retrieve the device. The investigation into the officers began, incidentally, on the same day Adams headlined a crypto convention in Las Vegas, where he described New York as the Bitcoin capital of the country. Read More Crime World Sunshine Girls Olympics Toronto Raptors
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NYPD officer allegedly picked up Italian tourist from airport: sources
SOHO, Manhattan (PIX11) – Two NYPD officers are on administrative leave for allegedly working security for the cryptocurrency investors accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian Bitcoin millionaire, sources told PIX11 News. Sources said one police officer was part of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' security detail. It's believed the 28-year-old victim may have been picked up from the airport by one of the officers and driven to the luxury SoHo townhouse where he was kept captive, according to sources. More Local News The victim was shocked with electrical wires, forced to smoke crack, cut with a saw on his leg and beaten with a gun while he was held for more than three weeks, court documents said. John Woeltz, 37, and 33-year-old William Duplessie were both arrested in connection to the kidnapping, according to authorities. Police officers are not permitted to work private security detail without approval from the NYPD. A spokesperson for Adams told PIX11 News that the mayor was unaware of what an officer on his team was doing on his personal time. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing,' City Hall wrote in a statement. Woeltz has been denied bail following a grand jury indictment on Thursday. Duplessie, who turned himself in, is also being held without bail and due back in court Friday morning. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Millionaire Bro Crypto Torture Plot Takes Bizarre New Twist
An NYPD detective reportedly provided security at a ritzy SoHo townhouse where two cryptocurrency kingpins allegedly kidnapped and tortured an Italian tourist to obtain his Bitcoin passcode. The detective, News 4 New York reported Thursday, is part of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail. Both he and another member of the force were placed on modified desk duty this week. The detective, who was working off-duty, is also believed to have picked up the tourist at the airport, sources told the outlet. It's unknown how aware either NYPD member was of what allegedly took place at the Prince Street townhouse. 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,' City Hall told the NBC affiliate in a statement. 'We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing.' Two men, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, have been taken into custody for allegedly holding the tourist captive for 17 days. The 28-year-old Italian national told police that they stole his passport and electronic devices upon his arrival, and demanded his Bitcoin passcode. When he refused, their methods of torture included shocking him with electric wires, putting a gun to his head, hitting him with the gun, holding a chainsaw to his leg, and dangling him over the ledge of the five-story staircase. After relinquishing his password last Friday, the victim managed to escape the $40,000 per month townhouse and flag down an NYPD traffic cop. Police said he was shoeless and bloodied. Prosecutors said that when police arrived on scene, they found Polaroid photos depicting the alleged abuse. They also found cocaine, body armor, a gun and ammunition, and chicken wire. Woeltz, who has been referred to as the Crypto King of Kentucky, has a net worth of around $100 million, according to NBC New York. The 37-year-old was arrested Friday in his bathrobe outside the townhouse. Woeltz was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and denied bail. He has a June 11 arraignment, at which time the charges will be unsealed. Duplessie, who had been living in Switzerland, was an early supporter of Bitcoin, having claimed back in 2017 that the value of one unit would reach $1 million. He turned himself in on Tuesday, with an indictment forthcoming. Sources told News 4 New York that the three men's relationship was complex, and like 'Wolf of Wall Street/frat guys gone wild.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Detective assigned to NYC Mayor Eric Adams' security detail allegedly dropped off victim in crypto kidnapping case, sources say
A New York City Police detective assigned to Mayor Eric Adams' security detail will be questioned in relation to a bizarre crypto currency kidnapping and torture plot after he allegedly delivered the victim to his tormentors, according to multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case. It is not clear if the detective had any knowledge or any role in the multiple assaults, officials said, adding that is a key question that investigators are trying to answer. The investigation comes after two people, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, were charged in the case. Prosecutors said they were involved in holding a 28-year-old wealthy Italian cryptocurrency trader hostage for several weeks as part of a violent scheme to obtain his Bitcoin password, the Manhattan District Attorney said. The victim, who has not been named by investigators, was ultimately able to escape. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Duplessie's attorney declined to comment on the case. CNN has reached out to Woeltz's attorney for comment. Investigators learned that the detective, who picked up the victim on May 6 from John F. Kennedy International Airport, was working 'off-duty employment' providing security for Woeltz, a Crypto entrepreneur, sources said. The detective was contacted by NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau and has been placed on 'modified assignment,' meaning his badge and guns have been taken and he is assigned to administrative duties as the investigation into the plot continues. A second detective, assigned to the Narcotics Division, was also placed on modified assignment as part of the same investigation, according to the officials. Investigators also do not know whether that detective had any awareness of the plot or involvement in it. The union representing the detectives declined to comment. Two members of the NYPD were placed on modified duty Wednesday, an NYPD spokesperson told the Associated Press. CNN has reached out to the mayor's office and the NYPD for more information. Adams' office confirmed one of the detectives provides security detail for the mayor, but said the mayor has no knowledge of what the officer does on his personal time, the Associated Press reported. 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,' the mayor's office told the Associated Press. 'We are disturbed by these allegations.' Prosecutors say the victim in the kidnapping plot was tortured for days, threatened to be killed and at one point dangled over a railing if he did not give up his Bitcoin password. When the victim refused, he was subjected to beatings that included but were 'not limited to,' using electric wires to shock him, pointing a firearm at his head and using that firearm to strike him in the head, they said. The two men also bound the victim's wrists and said they would have his family killed, according to the district attorney. Both detectives being questioned in relation to the case were apparently hired through a private security and investigation company run by a retired NYPD sergeant, sources told CNN. The NYPD had no record of either detective applying for, or being approved for, off duty employment, the process by which an NYPD employee can pick up other work outside the department, law enforcement sources told CNN. Officials briefed on the investigation are considering several questions, including if the detectives have any knowledge or any role in the multiple assaults.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
NYPD probing detectives who worked security at house where man says he was tortured, AP source says
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police are investigating two detectives who worked security at an upscale Manhattan townhouse where a man says he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks by two crypto investors who wanted to steal his Bitcoin, a city official said Thursday. One of the detectives serves on Mayor Eric Adams' security detail and is believed to have picked up the victim from a local airport and brought him to the townhouse, the official said. It's not immediately clear if the other detective, who is a narcotics officer, has any connection to the incident. The detectives have been placed on modified leave pending the outcome of the inquiry, according to the official, who was briefed on the case and spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they are not authorized to discuss the internal investigation. It is not uncommon for members of the NYPD to do private security work outside of their city jobs but they need to receive prior approval. At this point, the official said, the department is looking into whether the officers received that approval. Adams' office confirmed one of the detectives provides security detail for the Democrat, but said the mayor has no knowledge of what the officer does on his personal time. 'Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,' the mayor's office said in an emailed statement. 'We are disturbed by these allegations.' In response to an emailed inquiry, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed two members were placed on modified duty Wednesday. A spokesperson for the labor union representing NYPD detectives didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Crypto investors John Woeltz and William Duplessie have been charged in the case. Their lawyers have declined to comment. Authorities allege that on May 6, the two men lured the victim, who they knew personally, to a posh townhouse in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood by threatening to kill his family. The man, a 28-year-old Italian national who has not been named by officials, said he was then held captive for 17 days, as the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high. He eventually agreed to hand over his computer password Friday morning, then managed to flee the home as his captors went to retrieve the device. The investigation into the officers began, incidentally, on the same day Adams headlined a crypto convention in Las Vegas, where he described New York as the Bitcoin capital of the country.
