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A second suspect involved in the alleged kidnapping and torture of an Italian tourist in New York has turned himself in to authorities. William Duplessie, 32, presented himself to police on Tuesday, following the arrest of his alleged accomplice, John Woeltz, last week. Duplessie and Woeltz are accused of holding the victim hostage in an upscale Manhattan residence for nearly three weeks while attempting to extort his Bitcoin wallet password.
The victim reported excruciating abuse, claiming he was hung from a roof ledge, electrocuted using wires, and menaced with a chainsaw during their efforts to force him to divulge his cryptocurrency details. Both suspects face multiple charges, including kidnapping for ransom, assault, and unlawful imprisonment. Their alleged victim managed to escape a lavish home in the SoHo district, where he endured significant physical and psychological trauma.
Woeltz, a crypto investor from Kentucky, reportedly rented the expensive SoHo townhouse for between $30,000 to $40,000 a month. Investigations revealed that he had taken the victim’s passport upon his arrival in New York on May 6, effectively imprisoning him for 17 days. The victim described constant threats against him and his family, being coerced into using drugs, and suffering brutal treatment until he finally fled the property on Friday, bloody and barefoot, as he attempted to provide the assailants with his password.
Following the victim's report, police found alarming evidence in the residence, including disturbing photographs of the victim in bondage, along with weapons and narcotics. In a concerning parallel, French authorities have arrested over 20 individuals linked to multiple kidnapping attempts targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, underscoring the emergent trend of crimes surrounding digital assets.
Criminal defense attorney David Seltzer remarked on the growing incidence of such crimes, suggesting that they reflect a dangerous shift where criminals see kidnapping as a viable means to access cryptocurrency wealth.
A second suspect involved in the alleged kidnapping and torture of an Italian tourist in New York has turned himself in to authorities. William Duplessie, 32, presented himself to police on Tuesday, following the arrest of his alleged accomplice, John Woeltz, last week. Duplessie and Woeltz are accused of holding the victim hostage in an upscale Manhattan residence for nearly three weeks while attempting to extort his Bitcoin wallet password.
The victim reported excruciating abuse, claiming he was hung from a roof ledge, electrocuted using wires, and menaced with a chainsaw during their efforts to force him to divulge his cryptocurrency details. Both suspects face multiple charges, including kidnapping for ransom, assault, and unlawful imprisonment. Their alleged victim managed to escape a lavish home in the SoHo district, where he endured significant physical and psychological trauma.
Woeltz, a crypto investor from Kentucky, reportedly rented the expensive SoHo townhouse for between $30,000 to $40,000 a month. Investigations revealed that he had taken the victim’s passport upon his arrival in New York on May 6, effectively imprisoning him for 17 days. The victim described constant threats against him and his family, being coerced into using drugs, and suffering brutal treatment until he finally fled the property on Friday, bloody and barefoot, as he attempted to provide the assailants with his password.
Following the victim's report, police found alarming evidence in the residence, including disturbing photographs of the victim in bondage, along with weapons and narcotics. In a concerning parallel, French authorities have arrested over 20 individuals linked to multiple kidnapping attempts targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, underscoring the emergent trend of crimes surrounding digital assets.
Criminal defense attorney David Seltzer remarked on the growing incidence of such crimes, suggesting that they reflect a dangerous shift where criminals see kidnapping as a viable means to access cryptocurrency wealth.
