A cryptocurrency investor was arrested and charged in New York City after allegedly torturing a man for weeks to gain access to cryptocurrency assets. The suspect, 37-year-old John Woeltz from Kentucky, was taken into custody on Friday following the alleged victim’s dramatic escape from a residence in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.
According to the New York Police Department, a 28-year-old man approached an officer claiming he had been held captive and subjected to prolonged torture. Investigations indicate that Woeltz lured the man, reportedly a former business associate, to the location on May 6, where he allegedly took the man’s passport and restrained him with electric cords.
Several media reports state that the victim suffered severe abuse during captivity, including forced drug use, physical assaults with a pistol, being tasered while submerged in water, and threats with an electric chainsaw. The victim was later hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
Woeltz was arrested at the residence wearing a bathrobe and was later seen leaving the precinct in a white T-shirt. A 24-year-old woman has also been detained in connection with the case, though police have not confirmed her role or identity.
The NYPD charged Woeltz with first-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. He appeared in court on Saturday, where a judge ordered that he be held without bail.
