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New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Crypto kidnapping victim's dizzying view during alleged weeks-long torture ordeal
This is likely the dizzying view forced on crypto kidnapping victim Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan when he was allegedly dangled over a five-story staircase while being tortured for his Bitcoin password. Real estate photos of the eight-bedroom $21 million-dollar townhouse on Prince Street in SoHo where authorities said Carturan, 28, was abused and held captive for 17 days show the spiral, multi-level plunge he is believed to have faced during the harrowing ordeal. The native of Italy, who is worth $30 million, suffered serious injuries in the horrific episode, during which Manhattan prosecutors alleged he was tied to a chair with electrical wire, tased while standing in water, cut on his legs and arm with a chainsaw, urinated on and forced to take drugs. Advertisement 3 This is the staircase the victim is believed to have been dangled over. Compas His accused tormentors — crypto entrepreneur John Woeltz and Swiss business man William Duplessie — also allegedly destroyed Carturan's passport. Carturan was rescued after he fled the townhouse barefoot on May 23 and flagged down a traffic cop for help. Advertisement 3 The victim dashed out of the house, barefoot, when his captor looked the other way, sources said. WNBC The former captive has already contacted the Italian consulate on the Upper East Side in order to get a new passport, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported. 'Only on Saturday did the first contacts take place between the family (who said little or nothing keeping the conditions and the account of what happened confidential) and the Italian Foreign Ministry,' according to the outlet. His family owns a herbalist shop, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Advertisement 3 John Woeltz of Kentucky was accused of torturing the victim for his Bitcoin password. Michael Nagle Carturan was living in Rivoli, a town in the city of Turin in northern Italy, with his family before venturing to the Big Apple on May 6 to meet Woeltz, according to authorities and sources. He had studied psychology before dropping out of school to trade crypto, the Italian press reported. He was apparently hoping to retrieve Bitcoin allegedly stolen from him by Woeltz and Duplessie, who then turned the tables, took him captive and threatened to kill him and his family unless he gave them the password to his bitcoin wallet, prosecutors said. Advertisement Woeltz, 37, of Kentucky, is believed to be worth $100 million. Polaroids that were found at the property showed Carturan — who reportedly has a net worth of $30 million — with a gun pointed at his head and being forced to smoke crack cocaine, authorities said. The pair are due in court June 11.
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Hard-partying crypto bro looks haggard in NYC court as he awaits indictment in sick kidnap, torture case
The hard-partying crypto king accused of sadistically torturing an Italian millionaire for his Bitcoin password appeared haggard as he faced a judge in Manhattan court Friday. William Duplessie, 33, donned rumpled jail garb in Manhattan Criminal Court as he waited for an indictment to be handed down in the shocking kidnapping case. The hulking, 6-foot-5-inch Duplessie, along with fellow crypto trader John Woeltz, 37, is accused of holding Turin businessman Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan captive inside a posh SoHo townhouse for nearly three weeks. Advertisement 4 William Duplessie appears in Manhattan Criminal Court as an indictment is prepared to be handed down. Curtis Means/POOL 4 William Duplessie is in court for his alleged involvement in the crypto torture case. Curtis Means/POOL Carturan, 28, was subjected to horrific torture, including being cut with a chainsaw, before he made a dramatic escape May 23. Woeltz was arrested that day in his bathrobe, while Duplessie surrendered this week after partying it up in the Hamptons. Advertisement 4 John Woeltz was arraigned for his alleged involvement in the crypto torture case. Michael Nagle The reputed party animal Duplessie appeared worse for wear during his first court hearing Tuesday, with bags under his eyes and a persistent frown. The alleged crypto creep, who is being held without bail, still appeared fatigued and disheveled Friday. 4 Video exclusively obtained by NBC shows a first look at the Italian businessman and alleged kidnapping victim. WNBC Advertisement His attorney, Sam Talkin, didn't comment after the hearing. Duplessie is due back in court in early June.
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
Italian crypto torture victim returned to NYC to reclaim stolen Bitcoin from thieves who then held him hostage for weeks: DA
The pair of hard-partying crypto bros accused of sadistically torturing an Italian millionaire lured him to New York City with the promise of returning Bitcoin they had allegedly stolen from him — only to then keep him hostage for weeks in a twisted bid to siphon the rest, prosecutors alleged. Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, 28, had been forced to cough up the Bitcoin after John Woeltz and William Duplessie allegedly threatened to kill his family, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Amanda Blott revealed in court this week. The crypto crooks then allegedly told Carturan — who is worth some $30 million — he'd have to come back to the Big Apple if he wanted them to return the e-currency. Advertisement Carturan, who is from Turin, was picked up from the airport by an off-duty NYPD detective doing security on the side, and brought to the duo's 8-bedroom Prince Street home on May 6, according to sources and prosecutors. Woeltz and Duplessie allegedly grabbed his passport and cell phone and tied him to a chair, prosecutors said. Carturan was imprisoned in the SoHo house of horrors and brutalized for 17 horrific days — until he broke free over the weekend, prosecutors said. Advertisement The new details of the shocking torture case were revealed as Duplessie was arraigned in the case, and as prosecutors revealed Thursday they had secured an indictment against Woeltz, who was busted May 23 when Carturan made his escape. 6 Prosecutors said Italian crypto trader Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan wanted to recoup his stolen bitcoin. WNBC 6 Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan was held in a SoHo townhouse and tortured for nearly three weeks, cops said. James Keivom Sources also said that the cop who picked Carturan up at the airport and brought him to the SoHo pad had served as a member of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail — and has now been placed on modified duty. Advertisement A police search of the spacious townhouse uncovered Polaroid pics of the Italian trader's torment, including one with a crack pipe shoved in his mount while being held down, and another showing him with a gun pointed at his head, the DA's office said. 6 John Woeltz, the Crypto King of Kentucky, is charged with kidnapping an torturing an Italian bitcoin dealer in SoHo. Michael Nagle 6 Crypto millionaire William Duplessie is charged with kidnapping and torturing an Italian bicoin dealer in a SoHo house.. William Miller Woeltz, 33, and Duplessie, 37, allegedly threatened to kill Carturan's family again, and warned him that if he escaped they would track him down and kill him while demanding his bitcoin password. Advertisement Finally, after being dangled from the top of a staircase, Carturan agreed to provide his password, but fled to freedom when Woeltz allegedly went to fetch his laptop, prosecutors revealed. Woeltz was quickly arrested at the SoHo home, while Duplessie turned himself in Tuesday after partying it up in the Hamptons over the weekend, law-enforcement sources said. In court, Manhattan prosecutors said cops searched the townhouse and found a chainsaw, crack, body armor, night vision goggles, ballistic helmets, a gun with ammunition, and an array of photos of Carturan's harrowing weeks-long ordeal. 6 Prosecutors said Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan wanted to reclaim his stolen bitcoing when he was imprisoned.. Paul Martinka According to sources, Woeltz, dubbed the 'Crypto King of Kentucky,' and the hulking Duplessie lived a pricey party lifestyle, boozing it up at high-end Manhattan night spots and hosting all-night raves inside the rented SoHo townhouse. Carturan was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment after breaking free. In court Thursday, Woeltz's lawyer argued for his client to be released on a $2 million bond, claiming reports that his client owned a private jet and a chopper was not true. 'He has never been arrested before,' attorney Wayne Gosnell said. 'He's a 37-year-old man with no prior criminal history. He's a college graduate with a degree in philosophy. He's been very successful in the technology world. He's been supportive of his friends and family. Advertisement 6 Beatrice Folchi, John Woeltz's assistant, was arrested but released after the SoHo torture arrests. Khristina Narizhnaya/NY Post 'They are all committed in seeing him fight this case,' Gosnell added. Not swayed, Judge Kevin McGrath ordered him held without bail pending a return appearance June 11. Advertisement Kayla Mamelak Altus, Adams' press secretary, said the mayor's office was 'disturbed' by the allegations. '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,' she said in a statement.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Man Found a Dead Body Floating in His Backyard Pool. Police Believe it May Be a Missing 23-Year-Old Fugitive
A body was found floating in the pool of a Long Island homeowner on Sunday, May 25 Based on "ancillary evidence," police believe the body belongs to 23-year-old fugitive Matthew Zoll, who disappeared from a nearby neighborhood in November Zoll was wanted by police after allegedly stabbing his father to death at his Rocky Point, New York home on November 9The body found in a Long Island homeowner's pool may belong to a fugitive from the law whom police have spent months searching for. Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Kevin Catalina said in a press conference that police believed the body found floating in a pool in East Shoreham, New York over Memorial Day weekend belonged to 23-year-old Matthew Zoll, who was wanted after allegedly killing his father in November 2024, according to WNBC, WABC and CBS News. "We are currently waiting for a DNA analysis to confirm that, but, you know, based again on all of the ancillary evidence that we were able to uncover, we are investigating that strong possibility," Catalina said, per CBS. Police alleged in a November press conference that Matthew stabbed his father Joseph Zoll to death at his father's Rocky Point, New York home on November 9. He then attempted to flee the scene in a SUV, but he crashed it near the East Shoreham home where the body was found, per WABC. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Both East Shoreham and Rocky Point are located near each other in Shoreham, and police searched the area to try to find Matthew for several weeks. They were unable to locate him at the time, per the outlet. "It was very strange ... We all thought he just left town. Got on a train or a bus," Sharon Healey, a neighbor of the homeowner who found the body, told WNBC. Police said they are continuing their investigation into the incident while waiting on autopsy results from the county medical examiner to confirm the identity of the victim found in the pool and his means of death, per the outlet. The Suffolk County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The body was found floating in the pool of a veteran Suffolk County Police detective's home on Sunday, May 25, sources told WABC. The man had reportedly been opening his swimming pool for the season before Memorial Day when he made the discovery and called 911. "It was a Loop-Loc cover, but it appears that one of the portions of the Loop-Loc was undone, and somehow the body became secreted under that portion of the pool cover," Catalina said, per the outlet. The man said, per WNBC, that a portion of the pool cover had been opened, but he did not notice anything wrong prior to opening it. Catalina added, per WABC, that there was no foul play suspected in the backyard of the home. "I don't know why somebody would try to get under the cover. It's not a smart thing to do," the man's neighbor Paul Gawreluk told WNBC. "I really wouldn't be happy opening my pool to find that." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Man Found a Dead Body Floating in His Backyard Pool. Police Believe it May Be a Missing 23-Year-Old Fugitive
A body was found floating in the pool of a Long Island homeowner on Sunday, May 25 Based on "ancillary evidence," police believe the body belongs to 23-year-old fugitive Matthew Zoll, who disappeared from a nearby neighborhood in November Zoll was wanted by police after allegedly stabbing his father to death at his Rocky Point, New York home on November 9The body found in a Long Island homeowner's pool may belong to a fugitive from the law whom police have spent months searching for. Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Kevin Catalina said in a press conference that police believed the body found floating in a pool in East Shoreham, New York over Memorial Day weekend belonged to 23-year-old Matthew Zoll, who was wanted after allegedly killing his father in November 2024, according to WNBC, WABC and CBS News. "We are currently waiting for a DNA analysis to confirm that, but, you know, based again on all of the ancillary evidence that we were able to uncover, we are investigating that strong possibility," Catalina said, per CBS. Police alleged in a November press conference that Matthew stabbed his father Joseph Zoll to death at his father's Rocky Point, New York home on November 9. He then attempted to flee the scene in a SUV, but he crashed it near the East Shoreham home where the body was found, per WABC. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Both East Shoreham and Rocky Point are located near each other in Shoreham, and police searched the area to try to find Matthew for several weeks. They were unable to locate him at the time, per the outlet. "It was very strange ... We all thought he just left town. Got on a train or a bus," Sharon Healey, a neighbor of the homeowner who found the body, told WNBC. Police said they are continuing their investigation into the incident while waiting on autopsy results from the county medical examiner to confirm the identity of the victim found in the pool and his means of death, per the outlet. The Suffolk County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The body was found floating in the pool of a veteran Suffolk County Police detective's home on Sunday, May 25, sources told WABC. The man had reportedly been opening his swimming pool for the season before Memorial Day when he made the discovery and called 911. "It was a Loop-Loc cover, but it appears that one of the portions of the Loop-Loc was undone, and somehow the body became secreted under that portion of the pool cover," Catalina said, per the outlet. The man said, per WNBC, that a portion of the pool cover had been opened, but he did not notice anything wrong prior to opening it. Catalina added, per WABC, that there was no foul play suspected in the backyard of the home. "I don't know why somebody would try to get under the cover. It's not a smart thing to do," the man's neighbor Paul Gawreluk told WNBC. "I really wouldn't be happy opening my pool to find that." Read the original article on People
