• A second cryptocurrency investor, William Duplessie, has been arrested in connection with a kidnapping and torture case.
• John Woeltz and Duplessie are accused of holding a 28-year-old Italian national hostage for weeks.
• The victim escaped after being tortured and threatened for his Bitcoin password, prompting a police investigation.

William Duplessie, 32, has been charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and more in connection with the alleged torture of an Italian man seeking his Bitcoin password. The victim was held captive for nearly three weeks within an upscale Manhattan townhouse, during which he experienced severe physical abuse, including being bound, shocked with electric wires, and threatened at gunpoint. His ordeal came to an end when he managed to escape and alert authorities, according to The New York Times and The Hill.

Duplessie's arrest followed the earlier detention of fellow cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz, 37, who was taken into custody on charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a firearm. The victim, who arrived in New York City on May 6, described harrowing experiences including being dangled from a ledge and sustained physical assaults as captors demanded access to his Bitcoin wallet. Woeltz pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to reports from HuffPost and The Hill.

Police have indicated that the victim endured various forms of torture during his captivity, as he was forced to reveal his Bitcoin password under threats against his life and that of his family. Evidence collected from the townhouse included firearms, drugs, and graphic images showing the victim in distress. The investigation is ongoing, with potential further arrests being explored, according to BBC and The Hill.