Mayor Adams security detail linked to 'crypto bros' kidnapping: Sources
Two NYPD detectives investigated for possible ties to crypto-torture case
FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt reports two NYPD detectives, one of which is assigned to New York City Mayor Eric Adams' security detail, are being investigated for possible ties to the crypto-torture case.
NEW YORK - Two NYPD officers are being linked to the crypto-kidnapping case in Manhattan where two men allegedly tortured an Italian tourist inside a SoHo apartment.
FOX 5 NY's Morgan McKay reports that two officers are under investigation, including one assigned to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail.
Neither officer is accused of participating in the criminal activity itself. However, they are being accused of picking up the victim from the airport as part of a side job.
Footage of 'Crypto bros' in popular Manhattan nightclub
The latest on the crypto-torture case from FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en.
It’s not unusual for NYPD officers to take on side security work while off duty, though the exact nature of this job remains unclear.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Adams was expected to appear on FOX 5 New York Thursday at 6 p.m. but canceled due to a scheduling conflict.
What they're saying:
A statement from Mayor Eric Adams’ press secretary said that the city expects all employees to follow the law:
"Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty. The investigation is ongoing."
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What happened in the SoHo crypto kidnapping?
Here's the latest in the NYC crypto-torture case
Cryptocurrency investors John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, of Miami, are charged with kidnapping a man and holding him captive for weeks in an apartment, where authorities say he was beaten, shocked, and threatened—told his family would be harmed unless he gave up his Bitcoin password. FOX’s Arthur Chi’en has the latest.
John Woeltz, 37, is a cryptocurrency investor now at the center of a brutal kidnapping case.
Prosecutors say he helped hold a man captive for weeks inside a SoHo townhouse, using violence to force him to give up his Bitcoin password.
William Duplessie, 32, faces the same charges in the case: kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a weapon. He turned himself in to police four days after the victim escaped from the townhouse and flagged down a traffic officer.
Online, Duplessie is listed as the cofounder and head of sourcing at Pangea Blockchain Fund and as an investor in several blockchain companies. Pangea has not responded to requests for comment.
What we know:
Police say the victim, a 28-year-old man from Italy, arrived in New York City in early May.
On May 6, he was abducted and taken to an eight-bedroom townhouse in SoHo, where prosecutors say he was held captive for nearly three weeks.
Inside the home, William Duplessie and John Woeltz allegedly drugged him, beat him with a gun, and shocked him with electric wires. At one point, they carried him to the top of a staircase and threatened to throw him over a ledge if he didn’t reveal his Bitcoin password.
William Duplessie is pictured in police custody leaving the NYPD's 13th Precinct stationhouse in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News via Getty Images)
Eventually, the victim agreed to give up the password, which was stored on his laptop in another room. When one of the suspects turned his back, he seized the chance to escape, running out of the townhouse and flagging down a traffic officer.
He was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that prosecutors say matched his account.
Investigators later searched the townhouse and found cocaine, a saw, chicken wire, body armor, night vision goggles, ammunition, and polaroid photos showing a gun pointed at the victim’s head.