Three Arrested in New York for Kidnapping Italian Tourist Over Bitcoin

Three individuals have been arrested in New York for their involvement in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian tourist in an attempt to steal his Bitcoin holdings. The victim, 28-year-old Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, was lured to a luxury townhouse in Manhattan’s NoLIta neighborhood by a crypto investor, John Woeltz, under false pretenses. Once there, Carturan was ambushed and held captive for three weeks, during which he was subjected to repeated assaults and torture in an effort to gain access to his Bitcoin wallet, which was said to hold millions.

Carturan was reportedly bound with electrical cords, beaten with a firearm, and subjected to electric shocks while his feet were submerged in water. The extensive evidence found inside the rental property included photographs of the torture, weapons, a ballistic vest, chicken wire, broken furniture, and blood stains, particularly on the third floor. Carturan managed to escape barefoot, flagging down a traffic officer and relaying the details of his captivity. Surveillance footage shows him in visible distress as he fled the property wearing athletic shorts and carrying a small black bag.

The first two suspects, Woeltz and Beatrice Folchi, were detained by police. Woeltz remains in custody on kidnapping and firearms charges, while Folchi was released shortly after her arrest with prosecution deferred. The third suspect, 33-year-old William Duplessie, surrendered to police on May 27 following days of negotiations and faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a weapon, and was remanded without bail.

This case highlights a growing trend of violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency investors. Law enforcement agencies globally have begun to register a sharp rise in such cases, with attackers using increasingly sophisticated tactics to extract digital assets from victims. The incident in New York is one of several recent cases where criminals have targeted individuals with significant cryptocurrency holdings, using violence and intimidation to coerce them into revealing access details to their digital wallets.

In response to the rising threat, law enforcement agencies are ramping up security measures and increasing cooperation with the cryptocurrency community. The arrests in this case demonstrate the effectiveness of law enforcement efforts in combating cryptocurrency-related crimes and serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals. The case also underscores the need for increased vigilance and robust security measures to protect digital assets, as the value of cryptocurrencies continues to rise and attract the attention of criminals.