A US Crypto Investor Kidnaps Italian Businessman in New York in an Attempt to Obtain His Financial Account Password

A 37-year-old American cryptocurrency investor, John Woeltz, and a suspected 24-year-old female accomplice have been accused of illegally detaining and torturing a 28-year-old Italian businessman in a luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York, for over two weeks in an attempt to obtain his financial account passwords. The victim arrived in New York on May 6 to meet with John Woeltz, with whom he had previous business dealings, and was subsequently deprived of his passport and subjected to abuse including electric shocks, drug coercion, and chainsaw threats. It is reported that police found several Polaroid photos of the victim being bound and tortured at the scene, along with firearms, chainsaws, and other tools. The victim eventually escaped and reported to the police on May 23. John Woeltz is charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree kidnapping, illegal detention, assault, and illegal possession of weapons.