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2025: Charge of kidnapping and torturing his business partner
A Manhattan grand jury has issued an indictment against 37-year-old crypto investor John Weltz. The American is accused of kidnapping and torturing his Italian business partner for more than two weeks in order to obtain a password from his bitcoin wallet. Welz was arrested on May 23, 2025 at his home by the NYPD at the victim's request.
According to Reuters, local media claim that the victim was a 28-year-old man from Italy, Welz's business partner, who was in the United States as a tourist. The victim's name has not been released. Welz's lawyer asked to release the client on bail in the amount of $2 million, but the court considered it necessary to leave him in custody.
The prosecution insisted that Welz, if released on bail, could escape from the country, since he has a personal helicopter and a business jet. The lawyer stated that the client did not have the opportunity to hide from justice. The court did not take into account the defendant's lack of problems with the law in the past, the presence of higher education and significant "professional achievements."
The contents of the indictment will be read out on June 11, 2025, in Manhattan Criminal Court in Welz's presence. He did not take part in the hearing, which took place on May 29.
The applicant told law enforcement that Welz, along with another business partner - 33-year-old William Duplessis - lured him to a rented townhouse on May 6, 2025. The house is located in Nolito - Manhattan's upscale neighborhood. After that, the attackers began to demand to part with the cryptocurrency belonging to him, threatening his family with violence.
The criminals took away from the foreigner all the electronics belonging to him, the passport and demanded to provide the password from the crypto wallet. The purpose was to transfer the funds stored in it to your account. The victim refused to issue a password, after which Welz and Duplessis decided to keep him locked up until he gave the information they needed.
On May 23, 2025, the captive surrendered and handed the computer password to the thieves. While they were distracted by the search for the device, he managed to escape and turned to a representative of the traffic police patrolling the area.[1]
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