‘Crypto king of Kentucky’ among suspects charged with kidnapping, torture of Italian trader in New York bitcoin theft plot

NEW YORK — The latest crime thriller gripping New York is the alleged kidnapping of a wealthy Italian man whose captors attempted to torture the crypto millionaire into giving up his bitcoin password.

It began amid the backdrop of wild parties, immortalised in pop culture through films like The Wolf of Wall Street, in a posh Manhattan nightclub where the nouveau riche and flashy Wall Street bros congregate.

It ended on the morning of May 23, when a man ran to a police officer near Mulberry and Prince streets in the Soho district of Manhattan.

The barefoot man claimed he had just escaped a luxurious apartment where he was held captive for 17 days after entering the United States.

Police arrived at the scene and arrested John Woeltz, 37, dubbed “the crypto king of Kentucky” by tabloids, who is facing charges of kidnapping, criminal possession of weapons, assault and unlawful imprisonment.