A New York City man is facing a string of serious charges after police say he held an Italian tourist captive for more than two weeks—allegedly torturing him in a luxury apartment in an attempt to get his Bitcoin password.
John Woeltz, 37, was arrested on Friday, May 23, after the 28-year-old victim managed to escape and alert a traffic officer that morning, claiming he had been “held against his will” since May 6, according to the NYPD.
“The male further stated he had been routinely assaulted during his captivity,” the department said in a statement. The victim was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals in stable condition.
Woeltz is now facing charges of kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, two counts of assault, and criminal possession of a firearm. He’s being held without bail, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
Sources told the Associated Press that the attack was part of an effort to force the victim to hand over access to his cryptocurrency holdings.
Adding to the case, 24-year-old Beatrice Folchi was also taken into custody on May 24. She was charged with first-degree kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. However, the Manhattan DA’s office has declined to prosecute Folchi at this time, pending further investigation. According to reports, she had been working as Woeltz’s assistant.
The victim told police he had flown to New York from Italy on May 6 after previously working with Woeltz on business matters. Their relationship had reportedly gone sour, and the tourist had returned home—but was allegedly lured back to Manhattan by Woeltz under false pretenses.
Once back in New York, the tourist said Woeltz confiscated his passport and subjected him to days of torture. Police told WNBC that they discovered Polaroid images of the victim tied up and evidence of physical abuse. Authorities also reportedly recovered a firearm and multiple torture devices from the apartment.
As of now, Woeltz remains in custody and the investigation is ongoing.
