New York Man Denied Bail Over Alleged Bitcoin Ransom, Torture Plot

A Manhattan grand jury has indicted one of two men allegedly involved in the high-profile kidnapping and torture case of an Italian crypto investor.

William Duplessie, 32, was formally handed an indictment Friday over his alleged involvement in kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and weapons possession, in a plot to extract Bitcoin from an unnamed victim through weeks of violent coercion, according to an Associated Press report.

Duplessie, along with John Woeltz, 37, are accused of luring the victim to a Soho townhouse on May 6 by threatening to kill the victim’s family.

The two were formally charged last week, with Woeltz being denied bail Thursday after requesting release on a $2 million bond.

At the hearing, Woeltz’s attorney cited their client’s lack of criminal record, philosophy degree, and professional accomplishments, according to a report from the Associated Press.

“He’s been very successful in the technology world,” Wayne Gosnell, Woeltz’s representative, said at the hearing.

Woeltz, who did not appear in court, had “every intention to fight this case,” the attorney told a Manhattan judge.

Duplessie surrendered to Manhattan police on Tuesday last week, while a third individual, Beatrice Folchi, was arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. Folchi was released pending further investigation.

Duplessie requested a $1 million bail, but was denied due to the severity of the case. Indictments for Duplessie and Woeltz will remain sealed until June 11 for their arraignment.

House of horrors

The victim, identified as a 28-year-old Italian national, was reportedly held captive for 17 days.

Woeltz and Duplessie allegedly tortured the victim with electrical wires, forced the victim to smoke cocaine from a crack pipe, and at one instance, dangled the victim from a five-story high staircase.

The kidnapping took a turn on the morning of May 23. After allegedly being pistol-whipped by Woeltz, the victim thought they’d get shot and pretended to agree to surrender their password, according to a Washington Post report.

While the captors went to retrieve a laptop from another room, the victim was able to rush downstairs and flee to the nearby streets.

Disheveled, bloodied, and barefoot, the victim immediately sought help from a traffic enforcement officer on the corner of Mulberry Street.

Police later searching the townhouse found a saw, cocaine, chicken wire, body armor, night-vision goggles, ballistic helmets, and ammunition.

Also discovered were Polaroid photos of the victim with a gun to their head and shirts showing the victim with a cocaine pipe, according to a description from Assistant District Attorney Michael Mattson, per an ABC News report.

The Manhattan incident is one of several “wrench attacks” that have been growing in an alarming trend. Decrypt has compiled several methods to protect and defend against these violent attacks.

Decrypt has reached out for comments from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, as well as Duplessie and Woeltz’s respective attorneys.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair