A second suspect has been apprehended in a disturbing kidnapping case that unfolded in Manhattan, where an Italian tourist was allegedly tortured for weeks in a high-end apartment as his captors sought to extract his cryptocurrency passwords. William Duplessie, aged 32, voluntarily turned himself in to law enforcement on Tuesday after another suspect, John Woeltz, 37, was arrested the previous week.
The allegations against Duplessie and Woeltz detail a series of horrific attacks against their victim, who reported being threatened with a gun, hung off a ledge, and assaulted with electrical wires and a chainsaw. Their motive appears to hinge on an attempt to forcibly obtain the victim's Bitcoin wallet password. Both suspects face multiple charges, including kidnapping with intent to collect ransom, assault, and unlawful imprisonment.
The ordeal reportedly lasted nearly three weeks, during which the victim was held captive in a luxury SoHo residence, with rent costs reported at $30,000 to $40,000 per month. The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was able to escape and subsequently reported the incident to the police, resulting in an investigation that led to the search of the home, where authorities found evidence of the torture, including Polaroid photos documenting the victim's suffering alongside firearms and drugs.
Furthermore, the case highlights a worrying trend in cryptocurrency-related crimes, as authorities in France recently detained over 20 individuals in connection with a series of kidnapping plots specifically targeting crypto entrepreneurs and their families. As investigations continue, law enforcement is on high alert regarding safety threats to individuals in the burgeoning cryptocurrency space.
