In SOHO, Manhattan, one of the cryptocurrency investors involved in the alleged kidnapping and torture of a man in New York decided to skip his court appearance on Wednesday morning.
John Woeltz, aged 37, was scheduled to appear in a Lower Manhattan courtroom for the first time after being arrested on Friday in connection with the alleged kidnapping plot.
His attorney told ABC News that Woeltz also waived a scheduled appearance for Thursday, but declined to answer other questions about the case.
On Tuesday, a second suspect, William Duplessie, 33, surrendered to detectives at the 13th precinct.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have provided additional details about what went on in the eight-bedroom SoHo townhouse.
According to Assistant District Attorney Michael Mattson, Woeltz and Duplessie enticed the victim to travel from Italy to New York by threatening harm to the victim’s family.
Once the alleged victim arrived, he was stripped of his electronics and passport. He was then bound by the wrists and subjected to beatings, electric shock and a hit to the head from a gun.
Woeltz allegedly carried the alleged victim to the top flight of stairs and hung him over the ledge and threatened to kill him if he did not provide his Bitcoin password.
The victim told authorities Woeltz and Duplessie used a saw to cut his leg, urinated on him and forced him to smoke crack cocaine by holding him down or forcing a pipe into his mouth, prosecutors said.
The alleged victim was finally able to escape after believing he was going to be shot by telling his captors he would provide the defendant with his Bitcoin password contained on his laptop.
When Woeltz left the victim to retrieve the laptop, the alleged victim was able to escape down the stairs.
Inside the townhouse, prosecutors said detectives recovered a saw, crack cocaine, chicken wire, t-shirts with pictures of the alleged victim with the crack cocaine pipe in his mouth, body armor, night vision goggles, ballistic helmets, Polaroid pictures of the alleged victim with a firearm pointed to his head, in addition to firearm ammunition.
Law enforcement also observed blood in various areas in the apartment where the victim indicated he was being tortured.
Prosecutors convinced the judge to hold Woeltz without bail by pointing out that he is from Kentucky and has the means to flee, including a private jet and helicopter.
A judge denied Duplessie attorney’s request for a $1 million bail bond package that would have required him to wear a bracelet and be under home detention with his father in Florida.
The defense called the facts of the case “hotly disputed,” as well as the client’s involvement.
He said Duplessie demonstrated he is not a flight risk by his willingness to turn himself in.
Prosecutors said the suspects promised the Italian man he’d get back the Bitcoin he was previously forced to hand over while the suspects threatened to kill his family.
“They all know each other, but this was a kidnapping for roughly 17 days where they tortured this person. When I say torture, forced them take narcotics, put his feet in water, and shocked his feet and other types of torture for 17 days,” NYPD Chief John Chell said.
Prosecutors say Duplessie faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 25 to life. They are looking into a previous conviction in Switzerland.
Police said the eight-bedroom, 10 bathroom home where the torture allegedly took place was rented for $30,000 to $40,000 a month. It sits back from the sidewalk on the busy block of Prince Street in SoHo.
It was rented just a couple of months ago, with the most recent listing price at $75,000 per month.
Detectives are interviewing two butlers who were at the home and worked for the suspect.
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