Recently, a shocking kidnapping and torture case in New York City has been exposed, with the victim identified as 28-year-old Italian cryptocurrency millionaire, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan. He arrived in New York from Turin, Italy on May 6, planning to meet with a former business partner, but instead was kidnapped and held captive for 17 days inside a luxurious townhouse on Prince Street in SoHo.
Upon his arrival, Carturan had his passport and electronic devices taken from him, and was forced to reveal the passphrase to his cryptocurrency wallet. After refusing to cooperate, he endured a series of horrific tortures, including electric shocks, beatings, being suspended by a staircase, and forced to ingest cocaine. The suspects even threatened to saw off his legs with a chainsaw and tied him to a chair while pointing a gun at his head, preparing to use Polaroid photos to extort his family in Italy.
On May 23, upon learning that the suspects planned to kill him that day, Carturan managed to escape when they were not watching, running barefoot to the street where he sought help from an NYPD traffic cop, ultimately being rescued.
The main suspect, John Woeltz, 37 years old, a cryptocurrency investor from Kentucky known as the “Cryptocurrency King of Kentucky,” with an estimated net worth exceeding $100 million, was arrested on May 24. He faces multiple serious charges including kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault, and illegal possession of weapons, and is currently being held without bail.
The second suspect, William Duplessie, 32 years old, a Bitcoin trader from Miami and business partner of Woeltz, voluntarily surrendered to the police on May 27. He is facing charges of kidnapping, assault, and unlawful imprisonment.
Woeltz’s 24-year-old assistant, Beatrice Folchi, was briefly detained but has not been charged due to lack of evidence.
Police discovered a wealth of evidence inside the townhouse on Prince Street, including chainsaws, barbed wire, night vision goggles, bulletproof vests, ammunition, drugs (cocaine), firearms, bloodstains, and Polaroid photos depicting the victim bound and tortured.
The victim is currently receiving treatment at Bellevue Hospital, with multiple cuts and bruises on his body, and signs of being bound on his wrists. Despite the severe ordeal he endured, his successful escape has shed light on this harrowing case.