Two individuals charged with the abduction and maltreatment of a cryptocurrency investor visiting New York City have reportedly entered not guilty pleas to all allegations.
During a Wednesday session in the New York Supreme Criminal Court, John Woeltz and William Duplessie pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnapping and unlawful confinement of Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, as reported by Reuters.
The two men are accused of seizing the tourist, who was reportedly a companion, from New York City and inflicting electric shocks, beatings, and various other methods of maltreatment to gain entry to his crypto wallet.
Justice Gregory Carro, presiding over the case in New York state court, directed that Woeltz and Duplessie be detained without the possibility of bail. Both individuals might confront a life sentence if found guilty. No trial date had been established as of the Wednesday session.
The reported abduction and maltreatment case involving a crypto holder marks the latest in a sequence of assaults globally involving individuals linked to digital asset firms or who may have had access to significant quantities of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC). In France, three masked individuals tried to abduct the daughter and grandson of Paymium co-founder and CEO Pierre Noizat.
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Reports indicated that Woeltz and Duplessie detained Teofrasto Carturan in a SoHo neighborhood apartment for approximately three weeks, attempting to compel him to disclose his seed phrase. The crypto wallet holder succeeded in escaping and notified the authorities.
The New York Times reported in May that two officers of the New York Police Department were assigned modified duties following claims of their involvement in the abduction. As of Wednesday, neither officer seemed to be facing any criminal charges.
NYC Mayor striving for a more welcoming crypto atmosphere?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has promoted the city as accommodating to crypto, hosting a digital asset summit at his residence and advocating for the establishment of BTC-backed municipal bonds.
He has also consistently urged an end to the state’s BitLicense program, which has existed since 2015. Any digital asset enterprise or firm managing crypto investments from New York residents is obliged to obtain a license.
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