Archive · 11 Jun 2025
Men Plead Not Guilty in New York Crypto Kidnapping Case
Two men, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, are in trouble.
They are accused of kidnapping a man in New York City to steal his Bitcoin.
They allegedly kept him for three weeks, hurt him, and tried to force him to give up his password.
The men have pleaded not guilty and will remain in jail until their next court date.
If convicted, they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
This crime highlights how the growing value of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin has made some investors targets for criminals.
Two men, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and other charges.
The men are accused of kidnapping a man in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood for three weeks.
Prosecutors allege the men tortured the victim to obtain his Bitcoin password.
The defendants face up to life in prison if convicted.
The judge ordered the men to be detained without bail until their next hearing on July 15.
- Who
- John Woeltz and William Duplessie are the defendants, and the alleged victim is an Italian man.
- What
- Two men pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and related charges after allegedly trying to steal a man's cryptocurrency.
- When
- The men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
- Where
- The alleged kidnapping took place in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.
- Why
- The alleged motive was to steal the victim's cryptocurrency.
- Defendants
- John Woeltz, William Duplessie
- Charges
- Kidnapping and other charges
- Location
- Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood
- Victim
- An Italian man with ties to a crypto hedge fund
- Bail Status
- Denied
- Next Hearing
- July 15
- Potential Sentence
- Life in prison