Close Menu
StreamLineCrypto.comStreamLineCrypto.com
  • Home
  • Crypto News
  • Bitcoin
  • Altcoins
  • NFT
  • Defi
  • Blockchain
  • Metaverse
  • Regulations
  • Trading
What's Hot

Dutch crypto firm Amdax raises $35m to buy Bitcoin

October 7, 2025

Solana ETF vs. Ether: Can SOL Outperform ETH?

October 7, 2025

Grayscale’s Ethereum ETFs And Solana Fund Introduce Staking Features Today – Key Details

October 7, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Tuesday, October 7 2025
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
StreamLineCrypto.comStreamLineCrypto.com
  • Home
  • Crypto News
  • Bitcoin
  • Altcoins
  • NFT
  • Defi
  • Blockchain
  • Metaverse
  • Regulations
  • Trading
StreamLineCrypto.comStreamLineCrypto.com

Crypto investor charged with kidnapping, torturing an Italian for passwords

May 25, 2025Updated:May 25, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Crypto investor charged with kidnapping, torturing an Italian for passwords
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
ad


A Manhattan crypto investor is going through critical prices after allegedly kidnapping and torturing an Italian man in a disturbing bid to extract entry to digital property.

John Woeltz, 37, was arraigned on Saturday in Manhattan prison court docket following his arrest on Friday. He stands accused of holding a 28-year-old Italian man captive for weeks inside a luxurious townhouse in Soho, reportedly rented for $30,000 monthly.

Based on police reviews cited by The New York Instances, the sufferer arrived within the US on Might 6 and was allegedly kidnapped by Woeltz and an confederate.

The attackers are mentioned to have stolen the person’s passport and digital units earlier than demanding the password to his Bitcoin (BTC) pockets. When he refused, the suspects allegedly subjected him to extended bodily abuse.

Crypto investor charged with kidnapping, torturing an Italian for passwords
Supply: Mario Nawfal

Associated: Violent crypto robberies on the rise: Six assaults that focused buyers

Crypto sufferer crushed, electroshocked

The sufferer described being crushed, shocked with electrical energy, assaulted with a firearm and even dangled from the higher flooring of the five-story constructing.

He additionally advised police that Woeltz used a noticed to chop his leg and compelled him to smoke crack cocaine. Threats have been additionally reportedly made in opposition to his household.

Photographic proof discovered contained in the property, together with Polaroids, seems to assist claims of sustained abuse. The sufferer managed to flee on Friday and alert authorities, resulting in Woeltz’s arrest.

Woeltz was charged with 4 felony counts, together with kidnapping for ransom, and entered a plea of not responsible. Decide Eric Schumacher ordered him to be held with out bail. He’s anticipated again in court docket on Might 28.

A 24-year-old girl was additionally taken into custody on Friday in reference to the incident. Nonetheless, she was seen strolling freely in New York the following day, and no prices in opposition to her have been discovered within the court docket’s on-line database.

Authorities have but to make clear the connection between the suspect and the sufferer or whether or not any cryptocurrency was in the end stolen.

Associated: Crypto crime goes industrial as gangs launch cash, launder billions — UN

Crypto executives flip to bodyguards

Executives and buyers within the crypto business are more and more in search of private safety providers as kidnapping and ransom circumstances surge, particularly in France.

On Might 18, Amsterdam-based personal agency Infinite Dangers Worldwide reported an increase in requests for bodyguards and long-term safety contracts from high-profile figures within the area.

French authorities have responded by introducing enhanced protections for crypto entrepreneurs and their households, together with safety briefings and precedence entry to police help.

This comes amid a latest surge in kidnappings and ransom makes an attempt. David Balland, the co-founder of {hardware} pockets firm Ledger, was kidnapped in January 2025 and held for ransom for a number of days earlier than being rescued by French police.

In Might 2024, the daddy of an unnamed crypto entrepreneur was free of a ransom try after French legislation enforcement officers raided the placement in a Paris suburb the place the person was being held hostage by organized criminals.

Journal: Bitcoiner intercourse entice extortion? BTS agency’s blockchain catastrophe: Asia Specific