A cryptocurrency investor was arrested and accused of kidnapping a man and kept him locked for weeks in a luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York (US), where authorities say he was beaten, electrocuted and led to believe that his family would be in danger if he did not disclose the password on his bitcoin wallet.
John Woeltz, 37, was arrested on Friday night, 23, after the victim managed to escape from the eight-bedroom house and asked a traffic agent for help, according to prosecutors.
Woeltz was formally accused on Saturday (24) by kidnapping, aggression, private jail and illegal possession of firearms, as shown in judicial records. He was kept arrested without bail, confirmed on Saturday a spokesman for the promoter of Manhattan.
His lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, said on Saturday by email that he had no comments to make.
The 28 -year -old victim arrived in New York from Italy in early May, an agent of the law told Associated Press. The agent was not allowed to speak publicly about the investigation ongoing and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It is unclear how or if the two knew each other, but the prosecutor’s office reported by email that prosecutor Michael Mattson told a judge on Saturday that the victim, whose name was not released, was kidnapped on May 6.
