Two New York City police officers have been placed on administrative leave after investigators discovered their ties to two crypto entrepreneurs accused of kidnapping and torturing a former business associate for his Bitcoin password.
WPIX reported that the officers were working as security for at least one of the suspects, and one officer reportedly picked up the victim, who traveled from Italy, at the airport and drove him to the suspects’ luxurious townhouse, where he was detained for weeks.
John Woeltz, 37, was arrested on Friday after the victim escaped the apartment and approached a uniformed officer on the street, as CrimeOnline reported. A second man, 33-year-old William Duplessie, was arrested on Tuesday, WNBC reported.
Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and possession of a firearm. Duplessie faces the same charges.
The ordeal began on May 6 when the victim returned to New York after a falling out with Woeltz and Duplessie over money. But the pair lured him back with false promises, instead kidnapping him and holding him in the oppulent apartment they rented and demanding his crypto wallet password while beating him, shocking him, threatening to kill him and his family, urinating on him, and forcing him to smoke crack cocaine.
On Friday, the victim, fearing he was going to be killed, told the pair he would give them his password but fled the apartment when Woeltz went to get his laptop.
The names of the two police officers have not been released, WPIX reported. One of the officer was reportedly assigned to the elite unit that protects Mayor Eric Adams. Sources told the station that internal affairs was reviewing the situation.
“Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,” a statement from City Hall said. “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.”
A spokesperson said Adams was unaware of his protection unit officer’s extracurricular activities. Both officers were reportedly on the payroll of the crypto bros.
