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Bitcoin Early Investor John Woeltz Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Ransom of Italian Tourist

2025.05.25 08:32:21

On May 25th, the New York Police Department apprehended a 37-year-old cryptocurrency investor named John Woeltz and a 24-year-old female accomplice in Lower Manhattan, Manhattan. They were charged with kidnapping and torturing an Italian tourist. According to The New York Post, which cited sources, Woeltz detained the victim in a luxury SoHo apartment for more than two weeks and tried to forcibly obtain access to his financial accounts, which involved several million US dollars. The police found Polaroid photos at the scene documenting the abuse, including a photo of the victim being threatened with a gun. The victim was lured to the apartment on May 6th due to an alleged business transaction and was then kidnapped and tortured. It was claimed that Woeltz planned to kill him when he escaped. Woeltz was involved in early Bitcoin investments, and his GitHub account has been inactive since 2020. He is charged with second-degree assault, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, and illegal possession of a firearm. The female accomplice is charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. (TheBlock)
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