Photos show accuser in NYC crypto kidnapping leaving house freely,
defense lawyers say
[June 12, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who says he was kidnapped by two crypto investors
for his Bitcoin was seen in photos and videos “laughing and smiling” and
moving about Manhattan freely during the days he claimed he was tortured
in captivity, lawyers for the two suspects said in court Wednesday.
William Duplessie, 32, and John Woeltz, 37, pleaded not guilty and were
ordered held in custody until their next court date on July 15.
Prosecutors argue the man was clearly in distress because he ran
barefoot and bloodied to the nearest police officer after escaping 17
days in captivity.
However, Duplessie’s lawyer said Wednesday that videos show the accuser
participating in group sex and smoking crack cocaine while “laughing and
smiling the whole time.” In other photos, Sam Talkin said, the accuser
is seen visiting an eyeglass store with one of the defendants and could
have fled or sought help at any time.
“The story that he is selling doesn’t make sense,” Talkin said in
Manhattan criminal court as the defendants were formally arraigned.
Woeltz’s lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, added that witnesses told him the
accuser came and went as he pleased from the upscale town house where he
says he was held — going to church, clubs and dinners.
The accuser, a 28-year-old Italian national, has not been named by
officials. Prosecutors say the defendants have known him personally for
years.
In court Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Sarah Khan argued that
someone who supports the defendants was selectively leaking videos to
present a counternarrative of the events.
In reality, she said, the accuser was constantly watched, was not
permitted to leave the house without being guarded and was subjected to
violence, including being pistol-whipped and cut with a small chain saw.
The defendants also took photos of the man in various poses and acts to
create the impression that he was not being held against his will, Khan
said.
Police searching the town house found evidence corroborating his story,
including a loaded pistol, chain saw and other instruments purportedly
used to torture him.
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They also located photographs, including one where the defendants
point a gun to the accuser’s head, another where the accuser is tied
to a wheelchair, and still another showing the accuser being set on
fire.
When prodded by the judge, Khan explained that the man didn’t
actually sustain any burn injuries because the defendants would
quickly douse the flames, sometimes by urinating on him.
What's more, she said, prosecutors believe this is not the first
time the defendants have held a person against their will. They are
aware of two other potential victims in two other locations,
according to Khan.
Lawyers for the two men, meanwhile, sought their release on $1
million bail and home confinement with their parents. They rejected
suggestions from prosecutors that their clients could flee the
country.
“He’s so far from a flight risk here. He’s ready to fight this case.
He’s not going anywhere,” Talkin said of Duplessie.
The two appeared handcuffed in prison uniforms and didn't speak in
court other than to formally enter their pleas. They are charged
with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal
possession of a weapon and face up to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors say that on May 6, the two men lured the victim to a
town house in Manhattan’s posh SoHo neighborhood by threatening to
kill his family.
The man said the two investors tormented him with electrical wires,
forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him
from a staircase five stories high.
The man said he eventually agreed to hand over his computer
password, then managed to flee as his captors went to retrieve the
device.
Khan said Wednesday that last month’s kidnapping was at least the
third instance in which the two had convinced the man to meet them
in person, only to threaten him and take his electronic devices in
order to obtain his cryptocurrency.
To date, Khan said, he hasn’t received his money or electronic
devices back.
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