--- title: "The “Crypto King of Kentucky” Allegedly Kidnapped and Tortured a Man For Weeks in NYC Over His Bitcoin Stash" description: "In Manhattan's tony Nolita neighborhood, the so-called \"Crypto King of Kentucky\" allegedly held an Italian man hostage and tortured him for weeks when trying to gain access to his Bitcoin wallet. As NBC New York reports, the purported \"king,\" whose real name is John Woelz, was arrested and arraigned after the Italian tourist he allegedly kidnapped escaped on foot — literally speaking, as he was filmed running barefoot — to find help. That tourist, as the New York Times reports, was identified as a millionaire named Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan who had been in a business partnership with Woelz and a third […]" date: "2025-05-28" modified: "2025-05-28" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/crypto-king-kentucky-italian-bitcoin-kidnapping" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "bitcoin" - "crypto wallet" - "cryptocurrency" - "wrench attack" --- # The “Crypto King of Kentucky” Allegedly Kidnapped and Tortured a Man For Weeks in NYC Over His Bitcoin Stash ![The "Crypto King of Kentucky" allegedly held a man hostage and tortured him in NYC when trying to gain access to his Bitcoin wallet.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In Manhattan's tony Nolita neighborhood, the so-called "Crypto King of Kentucky" allegedly held an Italian man hostage and tortured him for weeks when trying to gain access to his Bitcoin wallet. As [*NBC New York* reports](), the purported "king," whose real name is John Woelz, was arrested and arraigned after the Italian tourist he allegedly kidnapped escaped on foot — literally speaking, as he was [filmed running barefoot]() — to find help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YFDFGt3Wx4 That tourist, [as the *New York Times* reports](), was identified as a millionaire named Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan who had been in a tumultuous business partnership with Woelz and a third man, William Duplessie. Before things went sour, the relationship between the three men was described by insiders to *NBC NY* as"[frat guys gone wild]()," with Woeltz and Duplessie "roughing up" Carturan sometimes, but never to this extent. When their partnership began to deteriorate, Carturan was said to have gone home to Italy, only to be persuaded back to New York where the "Crypto King" and Duplessie allegedly held him for three weeks in a four-story, 17-room luxury townhouse that [rents for $75,000 per month]() (though Woeltz apparently got a deal and paid about $30,000, [per *NBC New York*]().) During their not-so-pleasant stay in Nolita, one or both of the accused conspirators tortured the Italian to try to get the password to Carturan's Bitcoin wallet, which was said to contain millions of dollars worth of crypto. It remains unclear whether they gained access to it before the man escaped, bloodied and barefoot, into the New York streets. According to a police report viewed by the *NYT*, Carturan's torture was absolutely brutal. Per his own attestation, the man was bound with electrical wires, pistol-whipped, urinated upon, forced to smoke crack cocaine, and electrocuted with a stungun while his feet were submerged in water. The kidnappers also allegedly threatened to kill Carturan's family, per prosecutor statements viewed by the newspaper, and other reports indicate that he claimed to have been [dangled from a fifth floor]() — which would likely have taken place elsewhere, because the Prince Street townhouse only has four stories — and [threatened with a chainsaw]() as well. The fuzziness of those details already appears to be a point of contention. During an arraignment hearing for Duplessie, the second of the alleged co-conspirators, his attorney Sanford Talkin suggested that there's more to the case than meets the eye. "The facts here are hotly disputed," Talkin argued, per the *NYT*. "\[Duplessie's\] involvement is hotly disputed." Though the specifics of the alleged torture have not been tamped down in the aftermath of Carturan's shocking escape, there's plenty of physical evidence lending veracity to his account. When investigators looked through the house of horrors on Prince Street, they found, according to the *NYT*, photos of the Italian's torture, as well as multiple firearms, a ballistic vest, chicken wire, and blood. While we don't know much about either alleged kidnappers' backgrounds beyond their involvement in crypto investing and their late-night escapades, [per *TMZ*](), at an exclusive nightclub called The Box, they appear to have given neighbors the creeps. "I knew there was something weird going on, I just assumed they were shooting porn or something," a nearby jewelry vendor, who asked not to be named, [told the *New York Post*]() of the "weird crypto guys" who'd taken up the townhouse. "I couldn’t have guessed all this." This kind of "[wrench attack]()," as crypto kidnappings, tortures, are robberies are now called, are unfortunately becoming more common as traders move to physical storage of their holdings to avoid hacks. This one, it seems, just happened to explode in full view of a bustling lower Manhattan neighborhood. **More on crypto crazies:** [*Crypto Tycoon's Daughter Narrowly Escapes Kidnappers in Paris*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()