An NYPD detective reportedly provided security at a ritzy SoHo townhouse where two cryptocurrency kingpins allegedly kidnapped and tortured an Italian tourist to obtain his Bitcoin passcode.
The detective, News 4 New York reported Thursday, is part of Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail. Both he and another member of the force were placed on modified desk duty this week.
The detective, who was working off-duty, is also believed to have picked up the tourist at the airport, sources told the outlet.
It’s unknown how aware either NYPD member was of what allegedly took place at the Prince Street townhouse.
“Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty,” City Hall told the NBC affiliate in a statement. “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.”
Two men, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, have been taken into custody for allegedly holding the tourist captive for 17 days.
The 28-year-old Italian national told police that they stole his passport and electronic devices upon his arrival, and demanded his Bitcoin passcode. When he refused, their methods of torture included shocking him with electric wires, putting a gun to his head, hitting him with the gun, holding a chainsaw to his leg, and dangling him over the ledge of the five-story staircase.
After relinquishing his password last Friday, the victim managed to escape the $40,000 per month townhouse and flag down an NYPD traffic cop. Police said he was shoeless and bloodied.
Prosecutors said that when police arrived on scene, they found Polaroid photos depicting the alleged abuse. They also found cocaine, body armor, a gun and ammunition, and chicken wire.
Woeltz, who has been referred to as the Crypto King of Kentucky, has a net worth of around $100 million, according to NBC New York. The 37-year-old was arrested Friday in his bathrobe outside the townhouse.
Woeltz was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and denied bail. He has a June 11 arraignment, at which time the charges will be unsealed.
Duplessie, who had been living in Switzerland, was an early supporter of Bitcoin, having claimed back in 2017 that the value of one unit would reach $1 million. He turned himself in on Tuesday, with an indictment forthcoming.
Sources told News 4 New York that the three men’s relationship was complex, and like “Wolf of Wall Street/frat guys gone wild.”
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