Accused crypto-kidnapper held without bail during Saturday court appearance
Share and Follow

A Manhattan judge ordered the Kentucky-based cryptocurrency investor accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian businessman in an attempt to extort his Bitcoin password to be held without bail on Saturday.

John Woeltz, 37, is facing charges including first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon in the alleged two-week imprisonment in Soho.


Suspect John Woeltz being escorted by police officers from Manhattan's 5th Precinct to Manhattan Central Booking on a Friday night
John Woeltz is a Kentucky-based cryptocurrency investor, accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian businessman in an attempt to extort his Bitcoin password. David Burns

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office requested to hold Woeltz without bail, a request granted by the Manhattan Criminal Court judge who also mandated Woeltz to surrender his passport.

The victim, 28, broke out of the house of horrors Friday morning and reported his sick abuse and imprisonment to a police officer, law enforcement sources said.


A cryptocurrency investor from Kentucky is suspected of torturing an Italian tourist with a chainsaw in a sadistic, weeks-long extortion attempt to gain the password for his accounts at a ritzy Manhattan apartment
John Woeltz will face charges of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon Michael Nagle

Several Polaroids at the luxurious Prince Street pad – which Woeltz was allegedly renting for $30,000 to $40,000 a month – showed the victim being tied up with electrical wire and tortured, as well as one of him bound to a chair with a gun pointed at his head, the sources said.

He was also tased while his feet were put in water, pistol-whipped, forced to take cocaine and threatened to have his limbs chopped off with an electric chainsaw while being held captive, according to the sources.

First-degree kidnapping is a felony in New York and can carry a sentence of up to 25 years behind bars.

This is a developing story. 

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Howard Stern’s Bold Strategy for a New Show Comeback

Defiant Howard Stern is planning to hit back and resurrect his career…

Katie Thurston Delivers a Witty Comeback to Former ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant Cody Menk

Katie Thurston is demonstrating her ability to dish out shade just as…

Trump admin cutting $20M in DC security funding after federal law enforcement ordered to increase presence

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Trump administration plans…

Alumni from Multiple Generations Visit Ribault High’s Revamped Campus

Jacksonville leaders gathered to cut the ribbon on the new school, paid…

Jacksonville Shootings: One Fatality and Three Injuries in Different Events

Officers are reporting one person dead and three injured in the incidents…

Epic Conclusion to Starburst Candy Contest Saga After 15-Year Journey

A grandmother from Connecticut recently received a delightful surprise just before her…

A timeline of the manhunt for rural Montana bar massacre suspect as a small town hopes for closure

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! ANACONDA, Mont. – An…

Trump Considers Reclassifying Marijuana to a Lower Risk Category: Report

President Donald Trump is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less harmful substance.…