A man suspected of helping kidnap and torture an Italian cryptocurrency -investor in a Manhattan house house has surrendered to the New York City police.
William Duplessie turned on Tuesday after what officials described as days of negotiations with the authorities, the New York Times reports.
He is the third suspect on an alleged plot to extract the keys to a Bitcoin design book belonging to Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, a crypto fund employee who said he was held captive and abused for almost three weeks.
The test began on May 6 when Carturan arrived at a 17-bedroom townhouse on Prince Street in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood. He was ready to connect again with former fund partner John Woeltz, who along with another associate Beatrice Folchi allegedly adhered to him.
Police say the group tried to force Carturan to surrender access to his crypto holdings, allegedly worth millions through physical threats and psychological abuse.
According to law enforcement, Carturan was assaulted, suspended from the top floor of the five-story building and held on a gun. He managed to flee and warn the authorities almost three weeks later.
The New York City Police Department case has drawn attention to its brutality and connection to a growing tendency for physical attacks on crypto flushes.
In France, the daughter and grandson of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat recently targeted a failed kidnapping attempt caught on video. Earlier in the same city, a crypto millionaire’s father was abducted and got a finger cut off before he was rescued.
Another incident saw David Balland, co -founder of the hardware wallet maker Ledger, and his wife kidnapped from their homes. Authorities later saved the couple and seized the Ransom payment.
While Folchi has since been released and her prosecution is postponed, Woeltz is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. Both Woeltz and Duplessie face kidnapping, assault and illegal possession of gun possession.
A lawyer representing Woeltz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
