✔ John Woeltz, 37, a cryptocurrency investor, charged with kidnapping, assault, and unlawful imprisonment in NYC
✔ Victim, 28, was held captive for weeks, beaten, electrocuted, and threatened to reveal his Bitcoin password
✔ Escape: Victim fled after faking cooperation, found help from a traffic officer
✔ Evidence found: Cocaine, saw, body armor, night vision goggles, and Polaroids of victim at gunpoint
✔ Woeltz ordered held without bail—prosecutors say he has private jet access, posing flight risk
Brutal Bitcoin Kidnapping: What Happened?
Victim Lured & Held Captive in Manhattan Apartment
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The 28-year-old Italian national arrived in NYC in early May
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Abducted May 6 and held in an 8-bedroom luxury townhouse
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Tortured for weeks:
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Bound with wires, shocked with electricity
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Pistol-whipped, dangled over a staircase
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Threatened with death if he didn’t surrender his Bitcoin wallet password
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Daring Escape & Arrest
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Victim faked compliance, saying his password was on a laptop in another room
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When Woeltz turned away, he ran out and flagged down police
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Woeltz arrested Friday night, charged with:
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Kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, firearm possession
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Chilling Evidence Found in Townhouse
Prosecutors revealed investigators discovered:
🔴 Cocaine, a saw, chicken wire
🔴 Body armor & night vision goggles
🔴 Ammunition & Polaroid photos of the victim with a gun to his head
Flight Risk: Private Jet & Helicopter Access
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Woeltz was ordered to surrender his passport
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Prosecutors argue he could flee using private aircraft
Bigger Crypto Extortion Scheme?
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Other suspects involved in the Bitcoin theft plot remain at large
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Case highlights rising crypto-related crimes, including violent extortion for digital assets
What’s Next?
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Woeltz due back in Manhattan court next week
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Investigation ongoing to track down accomplices
