Italian Crypto Kidnapping Victim Tortured Over Bitcoin Password
Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, a victim of a brutal crypto kidnapping, endured a harrowing ordeal at an $21 million-dollar townhouse in SoHo. The real estate photos of the eight-bedroom property on Prince Street reveal the chilling spiral staircase where Carturan, 28, was allegedly dangled over during his torture.
Carturan, a wealthy Italian with a $30 million net worth, was subjected to unimaginable abuse, including being tied to a chair with electrical wire, tased in water, cut with a chainsaw, and forced to take drugs. His captors, John Woeltz, a crypto entrepreneur worth $100 million, and William Duplessie, a Swiss businessman, also destroyed Carturan’s passport.
After 17 days of captivity, Carturan managed to escape barefoot and sought help from a traffic cop. He was rescued and has since contacted the Italian consulate to obtain a new passport. His family, who runs a herbalist shop in Italy, has remained tight-lipped about the traumatic experience.
Carturan, a former psychology student turned crypto trader, had traveled to New York to confront Woeltz and Duplessie over stolen Bitcoin. However, he became a victim himself when they held him captive and threatened his life and his family’s unless he revealed his Bitcoin wallet password.
Polaroids found at the townhouse depicted Carturan with a gun to his head and being forced to smoke crack cocaine. The shocking evidence further solidified the case against Woeltz and Duplessie, who are scheduled to appear in court on June 11.
