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SoHo crypto investor accused in kidnapping plot to steal Bitcoin
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published May 24, 2025
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José A. Alvarado Jr. / Gothamist
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published May 24, 2025
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A cryptocurrency investor in SoHo allegedly kidnapped and tortured a man over the course of more than two weeks in an attempt to steal his Bitcoin, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
John Woeltz, 37, was arrested Friday after his 28-year-old victim escaped from Woeltz’s Prince Street home and told an NYPD traffic agent he had been kidnapped, an NYPD spokesperson said.
An attorney for Woeltz declined to comment Saturday.
The victim told investigators that the ordeal started on May 6th when he went to the house to meet with Woeltz and another man, according to a criminal complaint.
Woeltz and the other man, who was not identified in court papers, then took the victim’s electronics and passport and demanded he turn over the password to his Bitcoin wallet, according to the complaint.
When he refused, Woeltz and the man tortured him in the house, prosecutors said. They beat him with a gun, held the gun to his head, and used an electrical wire to shock him, according to the complaint.
They also tied his wrists together, brought him to the top of a flight of stairs and threatened to kill him as they hung him over the ledge, according to the complaint.
Woeltz and the other man also threatened to kill his family if he didn’t turn over the password, according to the complaint.
Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon, according to court records. A judge ordered him jailed pending trial Saturday.
Police are still searching for the man accused of helping Woeltz torture the victim.
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Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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