Two New York City police officers have been placed on administrative leave after investigators uncovered their connections with two crypto entrepreneurs charged with kidnapping and torturing a former business partner for his Bitcoin password.
WPIX reported that the two officers were moonlighting as security for at least one of the two suspects, and one of them reportedly picked up the victim, who arrived from Italy, at the airport and took him to the suspects’ ritzy townhome, where he was held prisoner for weeks.
John Woeltz, 37, was arrested on Friday when the victim escaped the apartment and flagged down a uniformed officer on the street, as CrimeOnline reported. A second man, 33-year-old William Duplessie, was arrested on Tuesday, WNBC reported.
Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and possession of a firearm. Duplessie faces the same charges.
The ordeal began on May 6 when the victim returned to New York after a falling out with Woeltz and Duplessie over money. But the pair lured him back with false promises, instead kidnapping him and holding him in the oppulent apartment they rented and demanding his crypto wallet password while beating him, shocking him, threatening to kill him and his family, urinating on him, and forcing him to smoke crack cocaine.
On Friday, the victim, fearing he was going to be killed, told the pair he would give them his password but fled the apartment when Woeltz went to get his laptop.
The names of the two police officers have not been released, WPIX reported. One of the officer was reportedly assigned to the elite unit that protects Mayor Eric Adams. Sources told the station that internal affairs was reviewing the situation.
“Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,” a statement from City Hall said. “We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing.”
A spokesperson said Adams was unaware of his protection unit officer’s extracurricular activities. Both officers were reportedly on the payroll of the crypto bros.
