Two Defendants Plead Not Guilty in Cryptocurrency Kidnapping and Torture Case

At a hearing in New York Supreme Criminal Court on Wednesday, John Woeltz and William Duplessie pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and unlawfully detaining Michael Valentino. The two men are accused of abducting the tourist—allegedly their friend—and subjecting him to electric shocks, beatings, and other forms of torture in an attempt to obtain his cryptocurrency wallet. New York State Court Judge Gregory Carro, who is presiding over the case, ordered the two men to be held without bail. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment. As of Wednesday’s hearing, a trial date had not yet been set.