NEW YORK (AP) — A man who says he was kidnapped by two crypto investors for his Bitcoin was seen in photos and videos “laughing and smiling” and moving about Manhattan freely during the days he claimed he was held captive and tortured, lawyers for the two suspects said in court Wednesday.
William Duplessie and John Woeltz pleaded not guilty and were ordered held in custody until their next court date on July 15. Prosecutors argue the man was clearly in distress because he ran barefoot to the nearest police officer after escaping 17 days in captivity.
However, Duplessie’s lawyer said Wednesday that videos show the accuser participating in group sex and smoking crack cocaine while “laughing and smiling the whole time.” This shows that his story about being in distress or held against his will “is entirely false,” Sam Talkin said.
In other photos, the accuser is seen visiting an eyeglass store with one of the defendants, Talkin said, noting he could have fled or sought help at any time.
“The story that he is selling doesn’t make sense,” Talkin said in Manhattan criminal court as the defendants were formally arraigned.
Woeltz’s lawyer Wayne Gosnell added that witnesses told him the accuser came and went as he pleased from the upscale townhouse where he says he was held — going to church, clubs and dinners.
The accuser, a 28-year-old Italian national, has not been named by officials. Prosecutors say the defendants knew him personally.
Prosecutor Sarah Khan argued that someone who supports the defendants was selectively leaking videos to present a counternarrative of the events.
“Victims of abuse are not always going to act the way that we expect them to,” Khan said, adding that prosecutors have other photos showing the accuser being set on fire.
When prodded by the judge, she explained that he didn’t actually sustain any burn injuries because the defendants would quickly douse the flames, sometimes by urinating on him.
Prosecutors believe this is not the first time the defendants have held a person against their will, she said. They’re aware of two other potential victims in two other locations.
Khan argued that holding the two men in custody “remains the only option” because they’re both flight risks. Their lawyers had sought their release on $1 million bail and home confinement with their parents.
The two face up to life in prison if convicted, she said.
Duplessie, 32, and Woeltz, 37, appeared handcuffed in prison uniforms and didn’t speak in court other than to formally enter their pleas. They face charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Prosecutors say on May 6, the two men lured the victim to a townhouse in Manhattan’s posh SoHo neighborhood by threatening to kill his family.
The man said the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high.
The man said he eventually agreed to hand over his computer password, then managed to flee as his captors went to retrieve the device.
Woeltz has described himself in interviews as a blockchain investor who spent time in Silicon Valley before returning to Kentucky’s burgeoning crypto-mining industry. Duplessie is listed as a founder or investor at various blockchain-based companies.
New York City police are also investigating two detectives who worked security at the townhouse where the man says he was tortured.
The officers have been placed on modified leave pending the outcome of the inquiry, although their lawyer has said there’s no indication either officer witnessed any of the alleged criminal activity.
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Follow Philip Marcelo on X: @philmarcelo.
