Judge denies bail to crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing man in posh NYC townhouse
Share and Follow


NEW YORK (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a cryptocurrency investor who was charged with kidnapping and torturing a man for weeks in an upscale Manhattan townhouse in order to gain access to his Bitcoin.

John Woeltz, 37, has been jailed since his arrest Friday outside the luxury rental, where an Italian national told police he was severely beaten, drugged, shocked with electrical wires and dangled over a ledge by captors seeking the password to his digital assets.

Woeltz’s alleged accomplice, William Duplessie, surrendered to police Tuesday and is awaiting his own indictment.

At the hearing Thursday, an attorney for Woeltz requested his client be released on a $2 million bond, citing his lack of criminal record, philosophy degree and professional accomplishments.

“He’s been very successful in the technology world,” the attorney, Wayne Gosnell, told a Manhattan judge, adding that his client “has every intention to fight this case.”

The judge denied bail for Woeltz, who did not appear in court.

Gosnell also requested that Woeltz not be required to turn over firearms that he legally owns in Kentucky. And he disputed the prosecutor’s earlier claims that his client owned a private jet and helicopter.

“He has no means to flee,” Gosnell said.

Woeltz has described himself in interviews as a blockchain investor who spent time in Silicon Valley before returning to Kentucky’s burgeoning crypto-mining industry.

Authorities have said Woeltz and Duplessie, another cryptocurrency investor, knew the victim personally.

On May 6, they lured the man — whose name has not been released by officials — to a posh townhouse in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, one of the city’s most expensive, by threatening to kill his family.

The man said he was then held captive for 17 days, as the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high.

He eventually agreed to hand over his computer password Friday morning, then managed to flee the home as his captors went to retrieve the device. The victim made it onto the street, bloodied and shoeless, according to police.

A search of the townhouse turned up cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition and polaroid photos of the victim with a gun pointed to his head, according to prosecutors.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Chicago weather forecast: Chicago Public Schools cancels classes ahead of Extreme Cold Warning Friday for Cook County, IL

Chicago Braces for Arctic Blast: CPS Cancels Classes as Extreme Cold Warning Looms

CHICAGO (WLS) — Prepare for an arctic blast, as the Chicago area…
Armed carjacker’s wild Corvette rampage turns downtown into war zone; sergeant wounded in deadly shootout

Downtown Chaos: Armed Carjacker’s Corvette Rampage Leads to Deadly Shootout, Sergeant Injured

The chaos of a violent carjacking spree that spanned several counties came…
Fury over plans to demolish historic cotton mill for bland replacement

Preserving Heritage: Community Outrage as Historic Cotton Mill Faces Demolition for Modern Development

Residents are up in arms over proposals to demolish a historic cotton…
Paul Correa talking to officers GIF

Arizona County Attorney Dismissed Following Shocking Allegations of Filming Minor and Engaging in Public Indecency

Authorities have unveiled footage capturing the moment police confronted a prominent attorney…
Trump describes moment that resulted in severe bruise on hand

Trump Details Incident Leading to Significant Hand Bruise

President Donald Trump recently disclosed the cause behind a noticeable bruise on…
Border czar rips Virginia's new governor after she blocked ICE

Virginia’s New Governor Faces Sharp Criticism from Border Czar Over ICE Policy Blockade

Tom Homan, well-known as the Border Czar, recently criticized Virginia’s newly elected…
Chicago Bears stadium search: Indiana state lawmakers advance Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to lure NFL team

Indiana Eyes New Stadium Authority to Attract Chicago Bears from Illinois

CHICAGO (WLS) — In a recent communication with Bears season ticket holders,…
Luka Doncic curiously absent in fiancee’s post about decade of ‘good times, hard lessons’

Intriguing Omission: Luka Doncic’s Fiancee Reflects on Ten Years of Growth Without Mentioning NBA Star

Anamaria Goltes, fiancée of Lakers star Luka Doncic, recently shared a reflective…