Latest news with #Woeltz
American Military News
17 hours ago
- American Military News
Second suspect arrested in SoHo cryptocurrency kidnapping torture plot
A second suspect turned himself in Tuesday for questioning in the kidnapping of an Italian man and torturing him inside a luxurious SoHo apartment to get access to his cryptocurrency account, police said. The new suspect surrendered to detectives at the 13th Precinct stationhouse and is being questioned with charges pending. Police believe the new suspect helped cryptocurrency trader John Woeltz, 37, imprison and torture the 28-year-old victim for 17 days. The victim came to the U.S. to visit Woeltz's chic townhouse on Prince and Mulberry Sts. Woeltz was arrested Friday shortly after the victim managed to escape and flag down a traffic enforcement agent, who contacted police. Dressed in a plush robe, Woeltz was hauled down to the 13th Precinct stationhouse barefoot, where he was charged with assault and kidnapping. He was ordered held without bail following his arraignment Saturday. As soon as their victim arrived at the townhouse, Woeltz and his accomplice took his passport and electronics and told him he couldn't leave, police said. The two bound their victim's wrists and over the next three weeks subjected him to 'beatings including but not limited to the use of electric wires to shock him, using a firearm to hit him on the head, and pointing the firearm at his head on several occasions,' prosecutors said at Woeltz's arraignment Saturday. '[They] used a saw to cut his leg, urinated on the victim, forced him to smoke crack cocaine by holding him down and forcing it into his mouth.' The duo also 'tied an airtag around his neck with a chain or wire,' Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Michael Mattson said. 'They [said they] would kill his family and they would find the victim if he left.' After apprehending Woeltz, cops found disturbing Polaroid photos of him and his accomplice torturing their victim and holding a gun to his head. Some time during the victim's capture, Woeltz and his accomplice managed to get printed T-shirts of the victim smoking crack. The shirts were found in the home, along with body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition and ballistic helmets, officials said. On Friday morning, Woeltz 'carried the victim to the top flight of stairs in the townhouse and hung the victim over the ledge as the defendant threatened to kill the victim if the victim would not provide the defendant with the victim's bitcoin password,' Mattson said. After being pistol-whipped once again, the victim finally consented but said he needed a laptop to retrieve the password, the prosecutor said. 'When the defendant left the victim to retrieve the victim's laptop, the victim was able to escape down the stairs,' Mattson said. 'The victim was bloodied and had no shoes on.' He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated and released. Woeltz is facing 15 years to life if convicted. Woeltz has been featured as a speaker at several cryptocurrency conferences and has 'nearly a decade of experience with technology startups in Silicon Valley,' according to online profiles. Woeltz's mother Joan Woeltz said her son was an early believer of cryptocurrency and 'had been mining Bitcoin from the age of 12.' During his travels in the crypto world, he had been taken in and corrupted by another cryptocurrency trader who systematically isolated him from his family and may have been the mastermind of this scheme, the mother claimed. 'We've been concerned about this person entering his life and kind of controlling it,' she said in an exclusive interview with The News. 'My family and I have been concerned for some time for John's well being and what influence he was under with these people.' ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Crypto suspects face kidnapping charges
NEW YORK: The latest crime thriller gripping New York is the alleged kidnapping of a wealthy Italian man whose captors attempted to torture the crypto millionaire into giving up his bitcoin password. It began amid the backdrop of wild parties, immortalized in pop culture through films like 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' in a posh Manhattan nightclub where the nouveau riche and flashy Wall Street bros congregate. It ended on the morning of May 23, when a man ran to a police officer near Mulberry and Prince streets in the Soho district of Manhattan. The barefoot man claimed he had just escaped a luxurious apartment where he was held captive for 17 days after entering the United States. Police arrived at the scene and arrested John Woeltz, 37, dubbed 'the crypto king of Kentucky' by tabloids, who is facing charges of kidnapping, criminal possession of weapons, assault and unlawful imprisonment. Woeltz's 24-year-old assistant was also detained but does not face the same charges. A second man, William Duplessie, 33, who is the founder of the startup Pangea Blockchain International, turned himself in on Tuesday and was charged similarly to Woeltz. Duplessie, who originally hails from Miami, appeared in court Friday wearing a jail uniform. Philosophy degree According to details reported by local media, the presumed victim is Italian cryptocurrency entrepreneur Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, who visited John Woeltz's rented home—which goes for $30,000 a month—upon arriving from Italy on May 6. Once there, Woeltz and Duplessie confiscated his electronic devices and passport, and demanded the access code to his bitcoin assets, police said. After his refusal, the two men allegedly tortured Carturan, striking him with a rifle, pointing the weapon in his face and taking him to the building's fifth floor, where they threatened to throw him out the window, local media reported. 'He's a 37-year-old man with no prior criminal record. He's a college graduate with a degree in philosophy. He has been very successful in the technology world,' Woeltz's lawyer Wayne Ervin Gosnell said during a court hearing Thursday. The defense requested Woeltz's conditional release in the state of New York in exchange for a $2 million bond. Gosnell also noted that it has been said Woeltz 'owns a private jet, he owns a helicopter. That is not true.' Lavish lifestyle Though Woeltz has neither a jet nor a helicopter, he leads an exceedingly lavish lifestyle, according to the New York Post and TMZ, which published racy images of the suspects partying at The Box, a New York nightclub. The Post also mentioned frequent parties at the Soho apartment that is the scene of the alleged kidnapping. In recent months, cases of kidnappings or attempted abductions in the cryptocurrency world have multiplied globally as bitcoin, the most capitalized cryptocurrency, has grown to historical peaks. For Adam Healy, CEO of Station70, a firm specializing in crypto protection, these crimes are not new—he worked on a case years ago when an American traveling to Egypt was kidnapped for his crypto assets. 'I think that the frequency and the ruthlessness is increasing,' Healy said. In the last six to eight months, he has seen 'a significant uptick in those that are known to hold crypto or executives at crypto firms, things along those lines, getting targeted by a wide range of different criminals.' Healy attributed part of the uptick in crime to the rising price of bitcoin. 'It's a bigger target,' he said, and they are boosted by the ease with which massive payloads can be transferred with no oversight—as long as the crypto user can log in. 'Historically, if you wanted to kidnap something that was high net worth and they had, I don't know, ten million dollars in their JP Morgan account, it was kind of hard to get to,' Healy said. 'You couldn't just go to the bank and get a million dollars out.' — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. 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. 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. 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. 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
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.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Crypto duo faces kidnapping charges in alleged bitcoin theft attempt
William Duplessie, charged with kidnapping and torture for trying to steal a man's Bitcoin password, appears with his defense attorney Sanford Talkin, left, in Manhattan Criminal court, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP) NEW YORK: The latest crime thriller gripping New York is the alleged kidnapping of a wealthy Italian man whose captors attempted to torture the crypto millionaire into giving up his bitcoin password. It began amid the backdrop of wild parties, immortalized in pop culture through films like "The Wolf of Wall Street," in a posh Manhattan nightclub where the nouveau riche and flashy Wall Street bros congregate. It ended on the morning of May 23, when a man ran to a police officer near Mulberry and Prince streets in the Soho district of Manhattan. The barefoot man claimed he had just escaped a luxurious apartment where he was held captive for 17 days after entering the United States. Police arrived at the scene and arrested John Woeltz, 37, dubbed "the crypto king of Kentucky" by tabloids, who is facing charges of kidnapping, criminal possession of weapons, assault and unlawful imprisonment. Woeltz's 24-year-old assistant was also detained but does not face the same charges. A second man, William Duplessie, 33, who is the founder of the startup Pangea Blockchain International, turned himself in on Tuesday and was charged similarly to Woeltz. Duplessie, who originally hails from Miami, appeared in court Friday wearing a jail uniform. - Philosophy degree - According to details reported by local media, the presumed victim is Italian cryptocurrency entrepreneur Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, who visited John Woeltz's rented home -- which goes for $30,000 a month -- upon arriving from Italy on May 6. Once there, Woeltz and Duplessie confiscated his electronic devices and passport, and demanded the access code to his bitcoin assets, police said. After his refusal, the two men allegedly tortured Carturan, striking him with a rifle, pointing the weapon in his face and taking him to the building's fifth floor, where they threatened to throw him out the window, local media reported. "He's a 37-year-old man with no prior criminal record. He's a college graduate with a degree in philosophy. He has been very successful in the technology world," Woeltz's lawyer Wayne Ervin Gosnell said during a court hearing Thursday. The defense requested Woeltz's conditional release in the state of New York in exchange for a $2 million bond. Gosnell also noted that it has been said Woeltz "owns a private jet, he owns a helicopter. That is not true." - Lavish lifestyle - Though Woeltz has neither a jet nor a helicopter, he leads an exceedingly lavish lifestyle, according to the New York Post and TMZ, which published racy images of the suspects partying at The Box, a New York nightclub. The Post also mentioned frequent parties at the Soho apartment that is the scene of the alleged kidnapping. In recent months, cases of kidnappings or attempted abductions in the cryptocurrency world have multiplied globally as bitcoin, the most capitalized cryptocurrency, has grown to historical peaks. For Adam Healy, CEO of Station70, a firm specializing in crypto protection, these crimes are not new -- he worked on a case years ago when an American traveling to Egypt was kidnapped for his crypto assets. "I think that the frequency and the ruthlessness is increasing," Healy said. In the last six to eight months, he has seen "a significant uptick in those that are known to hold crypto or executives at crypto firms, things along those lines, getting targeted by a wide range of different criminals." Healy attributed part of the uptick in crime to the rising price of bitcoin. "It's a bigger target," he said, and they are boosted by the ease with which massive payloads can be transferred with no oversight -- as long as the crypto user can log in. "Historically, if you wanted to kidnap something that was high net worth and they had, I don't know, ten million dollars in their JP Morgan account, it was kind of hard to get to," Healy said. "You couldn't just go to the bank and get a million dollars out."
