A crypto investor is charged with kidnapping and torturing a man in an NYC apartment for weeks
Share this @internewscast.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A cryptocurrency investor has been detained and accused of abducting a man, confining him for weeks in a luxury apartment in Manhattan. Authorities report that during this time, the individual was physically assaulted, subjected to electric shocks, and terrorized into believing his family’s safety was at risk unless he revealed his Bitcoin password.

John Woeltz, aged 37, was taken into custody Friday evening after the victim managed to flee the lavish eight-bedroom townhouse and sought assistance from a traffic officer on the street, as stated by prosecutors.

Woeltz faced charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and illegal firearm possession during his arraignment on Saturday, court records reveal. He was held without the option of bail, as confirmed by a representative from the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Saturday.

His lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, said Saturday in an email that he had no comment.

The 28-year-old victim arrived in New York City from Italy in early May, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.

It’s not clear how or if the two knew each other, but the district attorney’s office said in an email that prosecutor Michael Mattson told a judge Saturday that the victim, whose name has not been released, was abducted on May 6.

Mattson said others were involved in the scheme to empty the victim’s Bitcoin wallet. That includes a person referred to in court records as an “unapprehended male.”

The victim said he was bound by the wrists and tortured for weeks inside the apartment. His captors, according to prosecutors, drugged him, used electric wires to shock him, hit him in the head with a firearm and, at one point, carried him to the top of a flight of stairs where they dangled him over a ledge and threatened to kill him if he didn’t share his Bitcoin password.

Believing that he was about to be shot, the victim was able to escape Friday after telling Woeltz that he would give up his password, which was stored on his laptop in another room. When the suspect turned his back, Mattson said, the victim ran out of the apartment.

The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that Mattson said were consistent with his descriptions of being bound and assaulted.

A search of the town house turned up a trove of evidence, Mattson said, including cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor and night vision goggles, ammunition and polaroid photos of the victim with a gun pointed to his head.

Woeltz was ordered Saturday to surrender his passport. Prosecutors said he has the means to flee, including a private jet and a helicopter. He is due back in Manhattan criminal court next week.

___

Yamat reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Tech CEO Andy Byron Entangled in ‘Scandal’: Former Employees Label Him as ‘Toxic Boss’ and React with Laughter

CAMERA-SHY Andy Byron was a toxic boss, an ex-colleague of the Astronomer…
President Donald Trump will sign a new cryptocurrency bill into law on Friday

President Donald Trump to Approve New Cryptocurrency Legislation This Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — On Friday, President Donald Trump is set to sign…
CNN panel devolves into chaos after lefty commentator suggests Trump wasn’t actually shot in the ear

CNN Panel Descends into Chaos Following Commentator’s Claim that Trump Wasn’t Literally Shot in the Ear

Chaos erupted during a CNN panel on Thursday night when a guest…
Martha Stewart, Serena Kerrigan, more attend dinner hosted by Bilt CEO Ankur Jain

Martha Stewart, Serena Kerrigan, and others join dinner hosted by Bilt CEO Ankur Jain

Ankur Jain, the founder and CEO of Bilt Rewards, along with his…
Aftermath of a car driving into a crowd in Los Angeles.

Vehicle Incident in Los Angeles Leaves Over 20 Injured, Including Five Critically

AT least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle ploughed into…
Missing mom's convicted killer claims boyfriend tainted his trial

Convicted Killer of Missing Mom Alleges Boyfriend Influenced Trial Outcome

One of the three men convicted in the mysterious death of a…
Russian lawmakers claim WhatsApp is a national security threat, should prepare to leave the country

Russian politicians assert that WhatsApp poses a threat to national security and suggest it may need to exit the country.

A Russian lawmaker overseeing the country’s IT sector announced Friday that WhatsApp…
Mexico City plans to tackle gentrification after protests against mass tourism

Mexico City to Address Gentrification Amid Protests Against Mass Tourism

On Wednesday, the Mexico City administration unveiled a preliminary strategy to tackle…
Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in Damascus.

Israel and Syria Reach Ceasefire Agreement, Says U.S. Envoy Following Days of Airstrikes and Rising Tensions

ISRAEL and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, a US envoy has…
Jennifer Love Hewitt has ‘not talked’ to Sarah Michelle Gellar since age 18

Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar Haven’t Communicated Since They Were 18

Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar haven’t talked in many summers.…
Huckabee Threatens to Declare Israel Does Not Welcome Christians Amid Visa Row

Huckabee Warns Israel May Be Alienating Christian Visitors

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has threatened to publicly accuse Israel of no…
17-year-old charged with murder in paddleboarder's killing at a pond in rural Maine

Teen Charged with Murder in Paddleboarder’s Death at Rural Maine Pond

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine officials announced on Friday that they have…