Key Takeaways
✔ John Woeltz, 37, a cryptocurrency investor, charged with kidnapping, assault, and unlawful imprisonment in NYC
✔ Victim, 28, was held captive for weeks, beaten, electrocuted, and threatened to reveal his Bitcoin password
✔ Escape: Victim fled after faking cooperation, found help from a traffic officer
✔ Evidence found: Cocaine, saw, body armor, night vision goggles, and Polaroids of victim at gunpoint
✔ Woeltz ordered held without bail—prosecutors say he has private jet access, posing flight risk
Brutal Bitcoin Kidnapping: What Happened?
Victim Lured & Held Captive in Manhattan Apartment
The 28-year-old Italian national arrived in NYC in early May
Abducted May 6 and held in an 8-bedroom luxury townhouse
Tortured for weeks:
Bound with wires, shocked with electricity
Pistol-whipped, dangled over a staircase
Threatened with death if he didn’t surrender his Bitcoin wallet password
Daring Escape & Arrest
Victim faked compliance, saying his password was on a laptop in another room
When Woeltz turned away, he ran out and flagged down police
Woeltz arrested Friday night, charged with:
Kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, firearm possession
Chilling Evidence Found in Townhouse
Prosecutors revealed investigators discovered:
🔴 Cocaine, a saw, chicken wire
🔴 Body armor & night vision goggles
🔴 Ammunition & Polaroid photos of the victim with a gun to his head
Flight Risk: Private Jet & Helicopter Access
Woeltz was ordered to surrender his passport
Prosecutors argue he could flee using private aircraft
Bigger Crypto Extortion Scheme?
Other suspects involved in the Bitcoin theft plot remain at large
Case highlights rising crypto-related crimes, including violent extortion for digital assets
What’s Next?
Woeltz due back in Manhattan court next week
Investigation ongoing to track down accomplices
