Arrest of a third person in the shocking kidnapping case of Bitcoin investors in New York

A third person was arrested in New York on Tuesday in a weeks-long manhunt to capture those behind the kidnapping and torture of a Bitcoin investor.

Suspect William Duplessie along with John Woeltz is accused of being involved in the kidnapping of a 28-year-old Italian businessman, a key member of Grin token, holding this person hostage in a luxury apartment in Manhattan for two weeks.

! William DuplessieThe couple allegedly tortured their victims with electric shocks, beatings, and gun threats in order to force them to reveal access to their Bitcoin wallets.

NYPD spokesperson told Decrypt: "Duplessie has been charged with offenses including second-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and illegal possession of a weapon."

Beatrice Folchi, identified by the police as Woeltz's assistant, was also arrested on Friday and charged with first-degree kidnapping and unlawful detention, but was released after the Manhattan District Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute for now to continue the investigation.

Woeltz was also arrested earlier. It is still unclear whether Duplessie has a defense attorney, as well as whether this kidnapping is related to a larger criminal network.

The kidnapping case related to Bitcoin in New York is part of a growing trend of violent crimes associated with cryptocurrency, as criminals increasingly target digital asset owners for kidnapping, extortion, and assault.

Earlier on Tuesday, French police arrested 12 suspects linked to two kidnappings related to cryptocurrency in Paris this month, including the father of a crypto entrepreneur.

In January, Ledger hardware wallet co-founder David Balland and his wife were kidnapped. According to sources at the time, the kidnappers cut off one of Balland's fingers as evidence for the kidnapping to extort money from the victim's family.

Last August in Danbury, Connecticut, a couple was forced out of a car, assaulted and put in a truck in a kidnapping attempt for ransom against their son — who authorities allege was involved in a $240 million cryptocurrency theft just a week earlier.

On Saturday, 33-year-old John Woeltz was arrested in New York after the victim in the kidnapping escaped from a luxury townhouse in Manhattan, where he had been held for weeks. Prosecutors said Woeltz claimed that another man was involved in the kidnapping.

After his arrest, Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful detention and possession of a weapon, and was held without bail.

If convicted on all charges in New York, Duplessie and Woeltz could face a sentence ranging from 15 years to life in federal prison.

A recent report from the FBI stated that the total damage caused by cybercrime in 2024 reached $16.6 billion, an increase of nearly one-third compared to the previous year. Among them, victims of cryptocurrency theft suffered the largest losses, with a total amount exceeding $6.5 billion.

Thạch Sanh