Crypto Torture

The two suspects in NYC's crypto kidnapping and torture case just can't catch a break ... prosecutors just unsealed an indictment charging them with a series of felonies -- one day after their Kentucky home was raided by the feds.

Bitcoin investors John Woeltz and William Duplessie were indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges of kidnapping, assault, coercion, attempted grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon, according to new court documents.

On Tuesday, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives descended on a Smithland, KY, estate owned by Woeltz and Duplessie, sources with direct knowledge told TMZ.

Feds are poking around a home owned by the two suspects charged with kidnapping and torturing an Italian man for weeks inside a swanky multimillion-dollar New York City townhouse in an alleged scheme to obtain a Bitcoin password.

Cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz and his alleged accomplice, Swiss businessman William Duplessie, own an estate in Kentucky ... and the property is currently crawling with law enforcement.

Federal agents from the ATF and officers from the Kentucky State Police and the New York Police Department are currently executing two warrants at the property ... sources with knowledge have confirmed to TMZ.

The alleged victim in the bizarre crypto kidnap-torture case is starring in yet another short film  -- but this time it's no sex tape ... but rather a new video of his daring escape from the "House of Horrors" in NYC.

TMZ obtained exclusive footage of Italian entrepreneur Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan hightailing it down a sidewalk in Manhattan's posh Nolita neighborhood after he broke out of the townhouse his alleged captors, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, were renting. Cops say the three men were business partners in a Bitcoin venture.

The video -- dated May 23 -- starts off with a uniformed NYPD traffic enforcement agent strolling down the sidewalk, followed by Carturan -- clad in a black outfit with no shoes on -- frantically running up behind him.

Sex parties and X-rated pranks -- not exactly kidnapping and torture, but new bombshell videos and photos reveal that kind of wild, bacchanalian atmosphere during the bizarre crypto kidnapping case that's landed John Woeltz and William Duplessie in jail.

TMZ obtained this footage showing their alleged victim -- Italian businessman Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan -- hanging out, grinning and frequently shirtless, with other partygoers inside the Manhattan townhouse Duplessie and Woeltz were renting.

The Italian businessman who was allegedly kidnapped and tortured in NYC for nearly 3 weeks, wasn't always in distress during that period ... according to a bizarre video of him cooking crack in an air fryer.

TMZ obtained a 20-second clip, which seemingly illustrates a much different picture of Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan's alleged captivity in the SoHo townhome where police say John Woeltz and William Duplessie tortured him for 17 days. In the video, Carturan appears to be tied around the chest to a wheelchair, but his hands are free and he's smiling and joking with at least 3 other people in the room.

Carturan -- whose face we've blurred because he's an alleged victim -- is fiddling with an air fryer on a table, and you can hear a male voice say, "You're in a wheelchair cooking crack" ... and someone else says, "That's so whack."

We're getting a closer look at the alleged plot undertaken by two NYC suspects accused of kidnapping an Italian man and torturing him to obtain a password to his Bitcoin fortune ... prosecutors revealed in court this week the victim was allegedly lured to Manhattan in an attempt to reclaim some of his currency that had already been stolen.

John Woeltz and William Duplessie, two hard-partying "crypto bros" living in an 8-bedroom SoHo townhouse, are in custody after a barefoot and bloody Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan approached a cop on the street last week and said he'd just escaped from being imprisoned and tortured at the residence.

Prosecutors allege Woeltz and Duplessie had previously forced Carturan, a multimillionaire, to send them Bitcoin after they threatened to kill his family. Woeltz and Duplessie allegedly told Carturan he could get his Bitcoin back if he personally showed up in New York, which he did in early May.

New video has surfaced showing the alleged victim in the NYC crypto kidnapping case escaping from his house of horrors, where prosecutors say he was tortured for weeks.

CNN released an exclusive video of Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan dashing out of the basement of a Manhattan townhouse -- and running barefoot onto the sidewalk and down the street.

It's clear from the footage Carturan was trying to get away from someone or something because he's hightailing it outta there.

The "Crypto King of Kentucky" suspected of torturing a man for weeks inside a swanky multimillion-dollar New York City townhouse spent big at a super exclusive erotic night club ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us John Woeltz and his alleged accomplice William Duplessie started going to a club called The Box back in February, and there were nights where they would drop between $80,000 and $100,000 ... and we have photos and videos of them in the club.

The Box bills itself as a unique and exclusive club featuring nightly shows combining music, theater, burlesque and erotica ... and there's supposedly a sexy peep show.

The second suspect in NYC's notorious crypto torture caper is now cooling his heels behind bars after being hit with formal charges by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors filed a criminal court complaint Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court, charging Bitcoin entrepreneur William Duplessie with several felonies -- kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon.

At his arraignment Tuesday evening, Duplessie was ordered held without bail after prosecutors asked the judge to remand him due to the severity of the crimes.

The "Crypto King of Kentucky" suspected of torturing a man for weeks inside a lavish multimillion-dollar townhouse hosted extravagant parties there ... and it seems he didn't raise any red flags when landing the swanky SoHo rental, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... John Woeltz and William Duplessie are currently in custody for allegedly torturing Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan to get access to his crypto fortune ... until the Italian citizen finally made his escape and told police everything.

Multiple sources with knowledge tell TMZ … Woeltz started living in the Manhattan townhouse on March 17 … with a rent amount of $75K - $90K a month.

The moment a Bitcoin trader finally escaped his alleged crypto hellscape was caught on surveillance -- and the footage is just as dramatic as it sounds.

In video obtained by NBC New York, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan can be seen in a casual top and shorts, sprinting barefoot up to an NYPD traffic cop Friday afternoon … clearly distressed, clearly desperate, and looking like he just lived through a straight-up nightmare.

Cops say Carturan was allegedly held captive for nearly 3 weeks inside a SoHo townhouse by two ex-business partners, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, who allegedly shocked him with wires, pistol-whipped him, dangled him over a ledge, and even allegedly urinated on him -- all while trying to force him to cough up the password to his crypto fortune.

William Duplessie just took his walk of shame -- getting perp-walked by NYPD outside a police station Tuesday in connection to one of the wildest crypto horror stories we’ve seen.

TMZ’s got the video ... the Swiss businessman looked dead serious and totally ignored the flood of media questions about his alleged role in the twisted SoHo torture plot as he was led to the car and got in.

Duplessie turned himself in to the NYPD Major Crimes Unit hours earlier -- becoming the second suspect in the alleged weeks-long abduction and torture of crypto investor Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan.

The case of the crypto tycoon allegedly tortured in an NYC townhouse is heating up … because a second suspect just surrendered to the authorities for his purported role in the bizarre incident.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... William Duplessie -- a businessman from Switzerland -- turned himself in Tuesday to the NYPD Major Crimes Unit, as seen in NBC News video above.

Our sources say Duplessie is the second person arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and torture of Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan inside a SoHo townhouse over several weeks.

The man suspected of kidnapping and torturing an Italian man over a crypto dispute suffered his own indignity when he was arrested -- his bathrobe came undone.

Photographer and street vendor Ciaran Tully was minding his own business Friday when John Woeltz was removed from his fancy NYC apartment wearing only a robe.

As he was escorted down the stairs, Tully says his robe came undone, so cops spared him the embarrassment and bundled him back up.

Logan Paul is taking legal action against popular YouTuber Coffeezilla ... claiming the internet investigator is purposely spreading lies to tarnish his reputation.

The docs were filed on Thursday ... with the WWE Superstar suing Coffeezilla -- real name Stephen Findeisen -- and his production company for defamation over his deep dive into Paul's failed CryptoZoo project.

In case you haven't been following along, Coffeezilla has released numerous videos addressing the fallout of the blockchain game for the past two years, -- calling the whole thing a "scam" -- pointing the finger at Paul and claiming he purposely duped his fans into shelling out their cold, hard cash so he could pocket it.