An Italian tourist’s barefoot dash onto a SoHo sidewalk has cracked open one of the most violent crypto-ransom plots ever seen in New York City.
Detectives describe an eight-bedroom home on Prince Street rented for up to $40,000 a month. Inside, the victim was allegedly hung over a roof ledge, shocked with electrical wires, and menaced with a chainsaw. Officers later recovered Polaroid photos of the assaults along with firearms and narcotics.
Woeltz, a self-styled “crypto king” from Kentucky, and Duplessie, his long-time business partner, are believed to have courted high-net-worth investors through a string of blockchain start-ups. Prosecutors argue both men are flight risks, citing offshore assets and Swiss business ties. Bail has been denied.
The Manhattan District Attorney is expected to present the case to a grand jury. Meanwhile, civil attorneys predict a flurry of litigation against short-term rental platforms and a fresh push for insurance products that pair cyber policies with personal-security coverage.
For crypto investors, the lesson is blunt. Hardware wallets and multi-signature protocols protect against online hackers, but real-world privacy, from travel plans to rental addresses, may now be the difference between digital fortune and physical danger from ‘wrench attacks.’
