Bitcoiner early arrested for kidnapping and extorting Italian tourist in New York

By Canuto

A shocking criminal history: an early cryptocurrency investor has been arrested in Manhattan, accused of kidnapping and torturing for weeks an Italian businessman in an attempt at a millionaire robbery.

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• An early Bitcoin investor is arrested for alleged kidnapping and brutal torture to an Italian.
• The event would have happened in a luxurious apartment in Soho, New York.
• The kidnappers sought to obtain the password of the victim’s financial accounts.
• The businessman managed to escape after weeks of captivity and the police arrested two suspects.
• The case is part of a growing wave of physical crimes of cryptocurrencies.

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An early investor of Bitcoin He has been arrested in New York for allegedly kidnapped and brutally tortured an Italian tourist, in an attempt to appropriate his millionaire accounts.

The incident, reported by police sources widely collected by the news media, occurred in a luxurious apartment by Prince Street, Soho, where the victim —A 28 -year -old Italian businessman— He kept captive for weeks.

New York City Police arrested two suspects in relation to the case. One of the detainees is John Woeltz, 37, who, according to reports, was one of the first to adopt Bitcoin since 2011. The other is a 24 -year -old suspect.

Woeltz joined the development team of HCASH (later Hyperash) In 2017, as discovered The Block Based on a medium post, and later joined the central team of Grina cryptocurrency that preserves privacy, after establishing its first security audit. Woeltz’s Github account has apparently inactive since 2020, according to the report.

Business trip turns into a nightmare

According to the sources consulted, it all started on May 6, when the Italian businessman traveled to the Big Apple for a commercial meeting with Woeltz, with whom he had a previous business history.

What seemed to be a professional encounter quickly transformed into a nightmare, when Woeltz allegedly snatched his passport and tied it in the luxury department, which is estimated to be rented for USD $ 30,000 and USD $ 40,000 per month.

For more than two weeks, the victim remained captive, subjected to documented torture in a series of Polaroid photos, then found by the police in the place. The aggressors would have used electric cable to tie the entrepreneur and provide electric shocks while their feet were submerged in water.

In addition, it was beaten with a firearm, forced to consume drugs and He received threats to be mutilated with an electric chainsaw. The kidnappers would also have placed an Apple Airtag in the victim’s neck to keep it constantly located and avoid any escape attempt. At all times they demanded access to their financial accounts.

When the police entered the department, the scene was typical of a horror movie. In addition to the perverse photographs, broken glass found, night vision glasses, bulletproof vests and a firearm.

Cryptocurrency investor faces assault charges

The Italian businessman finally managed to escape from the department, still bloody and visibly injured, alerting the police. He was transferred to the Bellevue Hospital to receive urgent medical care, he reported New York Post.

Simultaneously, the authorities arrested John Woeltz, who faces second degree assault charges, kidnapping in the first degree, illegal deprivation of freedom in first degree and criminal possession of a weapon. The second person, identified as Beatrice Folchi, 24 years old and resident of Manhattan, was also arrested for similar positions.

Police continue to investigate the possible participation of at least two more people, allegedly employees of Woeltz, who will be summoned to testify in the next few days.

Wave of kidnappings and extortion in the crypto world

The case, which undoubtedly becomes part of the most disturbing crimes in history related to cryptocurrency, adds to a recent wave of similar extortion and physical violence linked to user user users.

A few weeks ago, the case of three masked men who tried to kidnap the daughter and the granddaughter of the CEO of the cryptocurrency company, Paymium, In Paris, he caught the public’s attention after being widely reported by the press. The altercation, which happened in broad daylight and was registered in Chamber, resulted in the interception of the neighbors, who managed to avoid the worst.

In Venezuela, a group of former officials who kidnapped and extorted for a payment in cryptocurrencies were reported. This week, an American investor denounced an event of physical aggression and theft for USD $ 123,000 in Bitcoin On a trip to London.

High profile figures in industry such as CEO of Ledgercrypto wallet manufacturer, and the personality of Onlyfans, Kaitlyn “Murourash” Siragusa, also lived violent physical extortion to steal their cryptocurrencies. Other similar cases have recently been reported in Las Vegas and the United Kingdom.

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Article written with the help of AI, edited by Hannah Pérez / Diariobitcoin

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