NEW YORK — Two men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday (June 11) to charges they kidnapped a friend for three weeks at a townhouse in Manhattan's upscale SoHo neighbourhood, cut him with a chainsaw and set him on fire after dousing him with tequila to try to get him to reveal his bitcoin password.
Defendants John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, appeared in a Manhattan court before Justice Gregory Carro, who denied their request to be released on bail pending trial on charges that carry up to a life sentence if convicted.
Their lawyers during the hearing disputed the prosecution account that the men had tortured the alleged victim, who was not identified by name in court. Duplessie's lawyer Sam Talkin said the alleged victim was "having the time of his life" and took part in a "sex orgy" while at the townhouse.
The surge in the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in recent years has created a new group of wealthy investors who present tempting targets for criminals, according to security experts.
Prosecutor Sarah Khan told the hearing that the defendants and the alleged victim were involved in cryptocurrency investing and had communicated with each other electronically for years.
During an in-person meeting that began on May 6 in Manhattan, Duplessie and Woeltz took the alleged victim's devices and began a series of brutal beatings, Khan said.
"They pistol whipped him with a gun, they cut him with a small chainsaw and they used various other instruments," Khan said.
The defendants also urinated on the alleged victim to put out fires on his body that they set after dousing him with tequila, Khan said.
After three weeks, the alleged victim and Woeltz left the SoHo townhouse to retrieve the man's phone so he could transfer his cryptocurrency, Khan said. The alleged victim managed to run away and found a uniformed police officer, Khan added. He was barefoot and bleeding when he escaped, Khan said.
"He was in severe distress," Khan added.
Khan said authorities found a chainsaw, a loaded pistol and a photograph of Duplessie pointing a gun at the alleged victim when they searched the townhouse.
The alleged incident follows three cryptocurrency-linked kidnappings or kidnapping attempts in France this year.
Woeltz and Duplessie have been detained since being arrested last month on kidnapping and other charges. Carro ordered them to be detained without bail at least until their next hearing on July 15.
In urging Carro to release Duplessie on bail, Talkin said the alleged victim was free to leave the townhouse as he pleased. The man went out to church, clubs and dinners during the three weeks, according Wayne Gosnell, a lawyer for Woeltz.
"He could have talked to any passerby and told them, 'I'm in trouble, I need help,'" Gosnell told the judge.
Source: Reuters
