SOHO, Manhattan — Considered one of two cryptocurrency traders below arrest within the alleged kidnapping and torture of a person in New York has waived his court docket look on Wednesday morning.
John Woeltz, 37, was anticipated to make his first court docket look in a Decrease Manhattan courtroom after he was taken into custody on Friday and charged within the alleged kidnapping scheme.
His lawyer instructed ABC Information that Woeltz additionally waived a scheduled look for Thursday, however declined to reply different questions in regards to the case.
On Tuesday, a second suspect, William Duplessie, 33, surrendered to detectives on the thirteenth precinct.
In the meantime, prosecutors have supplied further particulars about what went on within the eight-bedroom SoHo townhouse.
Assistant District Legal professional Michael Mattson stated Woeltz and Duplessie lured the alleged sufferer to New York from Italy by threatening to have the alleged sufferer’s household killed.
As soon as the alleged sufferer arrived, he was stripped of his electronics and passport. He was then sure by the wrists and subjected to beatings, electrical shock and a success to the top from a gun.
Woeltz allegedly carried the alleged sufferer to the highest flight of stairs and hung him over the ledge and threatened to kill him if he didn’t present his Bitcoin password.
The sufferer instructed authorities Woeltz and Duplessie used a noticed to chop his leg, urinated on him and compelled him to smoke crack cocaine by holding him down or forcing a pipe into his mouth, prosecutors stated.
The alleged sufferer was lastly capable of escape after believing he was going to be shot by telling his captors he would offer the defendant along with his Bitcoin password contained on his laptop computer.
When Woeltz left the sufferer to retrieve the laptop computer, the alleged sufferer was capable of escape down the steps.
Contained in the townhouse, prosecutors stated detectives recovered a noticed, crack cocaine, hen wire, t-shirts with photos of the alleged sufferer with the crack cocaine pipe in his mouth, physique armor, evening imaginative and prescient goggles, ballistic helmets, Polaroid photos of the alleged sufferer with a firearm pointed to his head, along with firearm ammunition.
Legislation enforcement additionally noticed blood in varied areas within the condo the place the sufferer indicated he was being tortured.
Prosecutors satisfied the choose to maintain Woeltz with out bail by stating that he’s from Kentucky and has the means to flee, together with a personal jet and helicopter.
A choose denied Duplessie lawyer’s request for a $1 million bail bond package deal that may have required him to put on a bracelet and be below residence detention along with his father in Florida.
The protection referred to as the details of the case “hotly disputed,” in addition to the consumer’s involvement.
He stated Duplessie demonstrated he’s not a flight threat by his willingness to show himself in.
Prosecutors stated the suspects promised the Italian man he’d get again the Bitcoin he was beforehand pressured at hand over whereas the suspects threatened to kill his household.
“All of them know one another, however this was a kidnapping for roughly 17 days the place they tortured this individual. After I say torture, pressured them take narcotics, put his ft in water, and shocked his ft and different varieties of torture for 17 days,” NYPD Chief John Chell stated.
Prosecutors say Duplessie faces a minimal of 15 years to life in jail, and a most of 25 to life. They’re trying right into a earlier conviction in Switzerland.
Police stated the eight-bedroom, 10 rest room residence the place the torture allegedly happened was rented for $30,000 to $40,000 a month. It sits again from the sidewalk on the busy block of Prince Road in SoHo.
It was rented simply a few months in the past, with the latest itemizing value at $75,000 monthly.
Detectives are interviewing two butlers who have been on the residence and labored for the suspect.
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