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NEW YORK — A crypto entrepreneur was arrested Friday after a tourist from Italy told police he was tortured in the suspect’s luxury apartment in New York City for more than two weeks, according to police.
The alleged victim, 28, told police he arrived in New York from Italy on May 6 and went to the home of the suspect, identified by police as John Woeltz.
Woeltz, 37, allegedly took the man’s passport and tortured him before he was able to escape Friday morning, running to a traffic enforcement officer for help, police said. The alleged victim was taken to the hospital, police said.
The suspect made his initial appearance in court Saturday where he was held without bail on charges of kidnapping, assault and unlawful imprisonment. He did not enter a plea.
The alleged victim told police that Woeltz and another person, who has yet been apprehended, beat him, used electric shock and hanged him off a ledge after he refused to provide his bitcoin password, according to the criminal complaint.
When police responded to the home, they found multiple Polaroid pictures of the alleged victim being tied up and tortured in the suspect’s SoHo apartment, as well as multiple torture items in view, according to police sources.
A gun was recovered in the home, police said.
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