Sunday, May 25, 2025 -A cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged in New York City after allegedly torturing a man for weeks in an attempt to obtain access to cryptocurrency assets. The suspect, 37-year-old John Woeltz of Kentucky, was taken into custody on Friday following a dramatic escape by the alleged victim from a residence in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.
According to the New York Police Department, a 28-year-old
man approached an officer and claimed he had been held captive and subjected to
prolonged torture. Investigations suggest that Woeltz lured the man, reportedly
a former business associate, to the location on May 6, where he allegedly
confiscated the man's passport and restrained him using electric cords.
Multiple media reports state the victim endured extreme
abuse during the captivity, including forced drug use, physical assaults with a
pistol, tasering while submerged in water, and threats involving an electric
chainsaw. The victim was subsequently hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital for
treatment.
Woeltz was arrested at the residence while wearing a
bathrobe and was later seen leaving the precinct in a white T-shirt. A
24-year-old woman is also reported to have been detained in connection with the
case, though police have not confirmed her involvement or identity.
The NYPD has charged Woeltz with first-degree kidnapping,
first-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree assault, and criminal
possession of a weapon. He appeared in court on Saturday, where a judge ordered
that he be held without bail.
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