New York City police have taken into custody a man accused of participating in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian cryptocurrency investor in a Manhattan townhouse. The suspect, William Duplessie, turned himself in following negotiations with authorities, as reported by the New York Times. He is the third individual to be implicated in the alleged plot to extract the keys to a bitcoin wallet belonging to Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, a crypto fund associate who claims to have been held captive and abused for nearly three weeks.
The ordeal began on May 6, when Carturan arrived at a 17-room townhouse on Prince Street in Manhattan's NoLiTa neighborhood, expecting to meet with former fund partner John Woeltz. However, Woeltz and another associate, Beatrice Folchi, allegedly ambushed him.
According to police, the group attempted to force Carturan to surrender access to his crypto holdings, worth millions, through physical threats and psychological abuse. Carturan was reportedly assaulted, suspended from the top floor of the five-story building, and held at gunpoint. He managed to escape and alert authorities nearly three weeks later.
The case has drawn attention due to its brutality and connection to a growing trend of physical attacks on crypto users. Similar incidents have been reported in France, including a failed kidnapping attempt targeting the daughter and grandson of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat, and the abduction of a crypto millionaire's father, who had a finger severed before being rescued. Another incident involved the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of hardware wallet maker Ledger, and his wife, who were later rescued by authorities.
While Folchi has been released and her prosecution deferred, Woeltz is scheduled to appear in court. Both Woeltz and Duplessie face charges of kidnapping, assault, and illegal gun possession. An attorney representing Woeltz did not respond to a request for comment.