Two members of the New York Police Department, including a detective assigned to Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail, have been placed on modified duty amid an ongoing investigation into their potential connection to a disturbing kidnapping and torture case involving two cryptocurrency entrepreneurs.
According to sources familiar with the case, the detective—while off duty—allegedly provided private security at a townhouse on Prince Street in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood. It was there that Italian tourist and cryptocurrency investor was reportedly held captive and tortured for 17 days by John Woeltz and William Duplessie, both of whom are now in custody.
Investigators believe the detective may have transported the victim from the airport to the townhouse. It remains unclear whether the officers had knowledge of or were complicit in the alleged crimes. Both officers have been reassigned to non-enforcement roles pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.
“It is standard procedure for NYPD officers to work secondary security jobs while off duty,” a police official noted, “but it is still unclear if this particular assignment was approved by the department.”
City Hall responded with a statement: “Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations. As soon as they came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing.”
Details of the Crime
The 37-year-old Woeltz and his associate Duplessie are facing multiple charges, including kidnapping. Prosecutors allege the Italian victim, whose identity has not been released, was lured to New York under false pretenses on May 6. Once in the city, he was taken to the Prince Street residence where he endured physical and psychological abuse.
Court documents reveal that Woeltz and Duplessie threatened the victim's family, tortured him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe, and once dangled him five stories above the ground from a staircase. He was eventually coerced into surrendering his Bitcoin credentials. When the captors left to retrieve the victim’s device, he managed to escape—bloodied and barefoot—and sought help from a police officer.
A search of the townhouse yielded disturbing items: cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition, and Polaroid photos showing a gun pointed at the victim’s head.
Woeltz, who prosecutors describe as a prominent crypto trader from Kentucky with an estimated net worth of $100 million, had reportedly been renting the luxury townhouse for at least $30,000 a month. The victim is believed to be worth approximately $30 million.
Neighbors described the six-story property, complete with an elevator and basement stripper poles, as a “high-end frat house” with parties that lasted through the night. They claimed to have heard nothing to suggest that a violent crime was occurring inside.
Duplessie surrendered to authorities earlier this week and is awaiting indictment. Woeltz, who has been in custody since his arrest in a bathrobe outside the residence, was denied bail after a sealed grand jury indictment. His arraignment is scheduled for June 11.
Ongoing Investigation
The relationship between the two accused men and their victim is described by sources as complex and volatile, with previous incidents of physical altercations. The dynamic has been likened to a “Wolf of Wall Street” environment, filled with excess and recklessness.
The case remains under active investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
Contributors: The Associated Press
Source: NBCNEWS
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