- Suspect William Duplessie surrendered to New York police in connection with the kidnapping of an Italian cryptocurrency investor.
- Carturan, the victim, was reportedly held captive and abused for nearly three weeks in a Manhattan townhouse.
- Authorities say the attack aimed to force the victim to give up access to his Bitcoin wallet, valued at millions of dollars.
- This incident follows a rise in similar attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders in the U.S. and Europe.
- Other suspects, John Woeltz and Beatrice Folchi, have also been linked to the case, with court proceedings ongoing.
William Duplessie turned himself in to New York City police on Tuesday after being suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and torture of Italian cryptocurrency investor Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan. Police said the incident occurred at a large Manhattan townhouse, where Carturan was allegedly held to steal access to his cryptocurrency wallet.
According to officials, Duplessie is the third individual arrested in connection with the plot to extract Carturan’s bitcoin holdings, which were reportedly worth several million U.S. dollars. Authorities described days of negotiations before Duplessie surrendered.
Law enforcement stated that Carturan was assaulted, suspended from a top floor of the five-story townhouse, and held at gunpoint by the group, which included former fund partners John Woeltz and Beatrice Folchi. “Police say the group attempted to force Carturan to surrender access to his crypto holdings, reportedly worth millions, through physical threats and psychological abuse,” the New York Times reported. Carturan escaped after nearly 21 days in captivity and contacted authorities.
This high-profile case highlights a broader trend of physical attacks against cryptocurrency investors in both the U.S. and Europe. In France, the daughter and grandson of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat were recently targeted in a failed kidnapping attempt, and earlier, a crypto millionaire’s father was abducted and had a finger severed before being rescued, as reported by the BBC. Another incident involved the co-founder of hardware wallet maker Ledger and his wife being kidnapped and later rescued by police.
In the Manhattan case, Folchi has been released and her prosecution deferred, while Woeltz remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, according to court records. Both Woeltz and Duplessie face charges of kidnapping, assault, and illegal gun possession. An attorney for Woeltz did not immediately respond to comment requests.
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