Two men accused of torturing an Italian businessman in a posh New York City townhouse in order to obtain his cryptocurrency have pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault, and coercion, with prosecutors claiming other possible victims and even sharing a photo of the victim allegedly on fire.
After being indicted on a dozen charges by a grand jury, John Woeltz and William Duplessie were arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse on Wednesday while wearing jumpsuits and handcuffs.
Judge Gregory Carro ordered that they stay imprisoned without bail until their next court appearance on July 15.
During the court, Sarah Kahn, the prosecutor, provided graphic details of the alleged assault. According to the picture she showed the judge, the defendants would pour tequila on the alleged victim, light him on fire, and then extinguish the flames—sometimes by peeing on him.
According to Kahn, Woeltz and Duplessie tortured the victim by using a handgun, a small chainsaw, and a variety of other tools.
She said prosecutors had discussions with other, unidentified law enforcement organizations that revealed Woeltz and Duplessie had previously tortured victims. She didn’t elaborate.
In response, the defense said that there was footage showing the purported victim “having the time of his life” and doing things that were inconsistent with experiences of torture.
The defense lawyers stated they were able to get another footage from an eyeglass shop that was recorded 36 hours prior to the accused victim leaving the townhouse. This video purportedly showed him smoking a cigarette on the street alone.
Duplessie’s defense lawyer, Sam Talkin, told the judge, “The story that he is selling just doesn’t make sense.”
The footage is not in the hands of prosecutors, and Kahn stated, “Victims of abuse are not always going to act in a way that we expect people to do.”
Last month, Woeltz and Duplessie were taken into custody. They allegedly detained the guy against his will “with intent to terrorize him” and beat him with a chainsaw, handgun, and cattle prod, according to the indictment, which was made public on Wednesday.
In the past, their lawyers have refrained from commenting on the matter.
According to prosecutors, Woeltz and Duplessie reportedly threatened to have his family killed in order to entice the alleged victim, a 28-year-old male who is not named in the indictment.
According to a complaint, the individual informed police that he flew to Woeltz’s eight-bedroom SoHo home after arriving in New York on May 6 and that he was tortured because of his Bitcoin password.
On May 23, more than two weeks later, the guy reportedly fled to a traffic enforcement officer for assistance after escaping from the townhouse. Following that, Woeltz and Duplessie were taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping, assault, and unlawful confinement.
