Crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing a man in NYC apartment for weeks

[Puppycow]

A crypto investor is charged with kidnapping and torturing a man in an NYC apartment for weeks

Officials say a cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged with kidnapping, assaulting and holding a man against his will for several weeks in an upscale Manhattan town house.

apnews.com

Apparently the victim was lured to the man's apartment around May 8th, where he was tortured for weeks in an attempt to get him to reveal the password to his crypto wallet.

John Woeltz, 37, was arrested Friday night after the victim escaped from the eight-bedroom town house and flagged down a traffic officer on the street for help, according to prosecutors.

Woeltz was arraigned Saturday on charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm, court records show. He was ordered held without bail, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed Saturday.

A search of the town house turned up a trove of evidence, Mattson said, including cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor and night vision goggles, ammunition and polaroid photos of the victim with a gun pointed to his head.

Woeltz was ordered Saturday to surrender his passport. Prosecutors said he has the means to flee, including a private jet and a helicopter. He is due back in Manhattan criminal court next week.

That last sentence confused me a little bit. He has been "ordered held without bail" but also there seems to be concern about him fleeing and the part about him being "due back in court next week" makes it sound like he is not being held.

Anyway, apparently the accused had a lot of money given that he has a private jet and a helicopter, and the rent at this apartment is between $30,000 and $40,000 per month. Perhaps he was deeply in debt too, due to extravagant spending? The whole world of cryptocurrency stinks to me. The idea that so much money is going to this nonsense is sickening.

 

[Puppycow]

Here is a second article about it, with pictures of the man barefoot in a bathrobe being arrested.

Italian man kidnapped, tortured for weeks in Manhattan apartment: NYPD sources

An Italian man who was tortured and held against his will inside a Manhattan apartment for several weeks managed to escape his captors and get help, according to police sources. Police have arrested one of the alleged kidnappers, who they have identified as John Woeltz, 37, a crypto trader from...

www.yahoo.com

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Shows that you don't need a supercomputer to crack a password - a pair of pliers will do the trick most of the time.

 

[theprestige]

A crypto investor is charged with kidnapping and torturing a man in an NYC apartment for weeks

Officials say a cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged with kidnapping, assaulting and holding a man against his will for several weeks in an upscale Manhattan town house.

apnews.com

Apparently the victim was lured to the man's apartment around May 8th, where he was tortured for weeks in an attempt to get him to reveal the password to his crypto wallet.



That last sentence confused me a little bit. He has been "ordered held without bail" but also there seems to be concern about him fleeing and the part about him being "due back in court next week" makes it sound like he is not being held.

Anyway, apparently the accused had a lot of money given that he has a private jet and a helicopter, and the rent at this apartment is between $30,000 and $40,000 per month. Perhaps he was deeply in debt too, due to extravagant spending? The whole world of cryptocurrency stinks to me. The idea that so much money is going to this nonsense is sickening.

The concern about his ability to flee is why he's being held without bail.

He's being held in whatever jail houses prisoners awaiting trial in this particular court.

He's due to appear back in court (coming from the jail) next week.

 

[Puppycow]

Some updates. A second suspect has surrendered to police:

What we know about the NYC crypto kidnapping and torture case

Two men -- John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33 -- face kidnapping, assault and unlawful imprisonment charges in the case.

abcnews.go.com

Crypto investor suspect in SoHo torture case waives court appearance day after 2nd suspect arraigned

Prosecutors have also provided additional details about what went on in the eight-bedroom SoHo townhouse.

abc7ny.com

Manhattan Crypto Kidnapping and Torture Case: What We Know

An Italian man has said he was kidnapped and tortured in a luxury Nolita townhouse. So far, two men have been charged.

www.rollingstone.com

 

[Andy_Ross]

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

A crypto investor is charged with kidnapping and torturing a man in an NYC apartment for weeks

Officials say a cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged with kidnapping, assaulting and holding a man against his will for several weeks in an upscale Manhattan town house.

apnews.com

Apparently the victim was lured to the man's apartment around May 8th, where he was tortured for weeks in an attempt to get him to reveal the password to his crypto wallet.



That last sentence confused me a little bit. He has been "ordered held without bail" but also there seems to be concern about him fleeing and the part about him being "due back in court next week" makes it sound like he is not being held.

Anyway, apparently the accused had a lot of money given that he has a private jet and a helicopter, and the rent at this apartment is between $30,000 and $40,000 per month. Perhaps he was deeply in debt too, due to extravagant spending? The whole world of cryptocurrency stinks to me. The idea that so much money is going to this nonsense is sickening.

Being held without bail is being remanded in custody pre-trial without being presented with the opportunity to bail yourself out. Given the severity of the alleged crimes and the means to flee the jurisdiction it's not surprising.

 

[Puppycow]

Suspects in New York City crypto torture case plead not guilty to kidnapping and assault

The suspects, both handcuffed and in jumpsuits, were arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday after a grand jury indicted them on a dozen charges.

abcnews.go.com

Two men accused of torturing an Italian businessman in a luxe New York City townhouse to obtain his cryptocurrency have pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault and coercion as prosecutors said there are other possible victims and even shared a photo that allegedly depicted the victim on fire.

John Woeltz and William Duplessie, both handcuffed and in jumpsuits, were arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Wednesday after a grand jury indicted them on a dozen charges.

Judge Gregory Carro ordered them to remain held without bail through their next court appearance on July 15.