Suspects in Manhattan Crypto Kidnapping, Torture Case Plead Not Guilty as Investigation Widens

Two males suspected in the kidnapping and torture of a 28-year-old Italian cryptocurrency investor have pleaded not responsible, whereas the investigation into their case seems to have expanded to the New York Police Department itself.

New York police had beforehand arrested William Duplessie, 33, and John Woeltz, 37, on the costs, as effectively as a 3rd particular person, Beatrice Folchi, 24, although her prosecution is being deferred. The sufferer has not been publicly named.

The males are accused of kidnapping the sufferer and holding him hostage in a luxurious townhouse in Manhattan’s ritzy SoHo neighborhood for greater than two weeks. During that point, New York City police say the trio tortured the person, forcing him to take medicine, dangling him from a ledge, urinating on him and electrocuting him in an effort to drive him at hand over the non-public keys to his bitcoin. The alleged perpetrators are accused of constructing t-shirts of the sufferer with a crack pipe in his mouth and taking Polaroids of the sufferer with a gun to his head.

The sufferer escaped final Friday, grabbing his laptop computer and getting out of the townhouse after which searching for assist from a site visitors officer.

Duplessie entered a not-guilty plea to 5 totally different fees, together with kidnapping with an intent to gather a ransom, kidnapping and inflicting a bodily harm, prison possession of a loaded firearm, assault with an intent to trigger a bodily harm with a weapon and illegal imprisonment, based on the courtroom docket.

Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, illegal imprisonment and prison possession of a firearm, and he additionally pleaded not responsible, based on his courtroom docket.

Two NYPD officers, together with a detective assigned to Mayor Eric Adams’ safety element, labored for each Duplessie and Woeltz in their off-duty hours and have now been positioned on modified obligation, Bloomberg reported Thursday. A supply acquainted instructed CoinDesk that the 2 officers should not believed to be a part of the kidnapping, however quite did safety work for the defendants. They might have pushed the sufferer from an airport to the townhouse, however haven’t been tied to his torture, the supply stated.

A spokesperson for the NYPD stated the matter was “under internal review.”

A spokesperson for the mayor’s workplace stated in an announcement that, “Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing.”

UPDATE (May 29, 2025, 22:27 UTC): Adds extra element.