NYPD probing detectives who worked security at house where man says he
was tortured, AP source says
[May 30, 2025]
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police are investigating two detectives
who worked security at an upscale Manhattan townhouse where a man says
he was kidnapped and tortured for weeks by two crypto investors who
wanted to steal his Bitcoin, a city official said Thursday.
One of the detectives serves on Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail and is
believed to have picked up the victim from a local airport and brought
him to the townhouse, the official said. It’s not immediately clear if
the other detective, who is a narcotics officer, has any connection to
the incident.
The detectives have been placed on modified leave pending the outcome of
the inquiry, according to the official, who was briefed on the case and
spoke anonymously to The Associated Press because they are not
authorized to discuss the internal investigation.
It is not uncommon for members of the NYPD to do private security work
outside of their city jobs but they need to receive prior approval. At
this point, the official said, the department is looking into whether
the officers received that approval.
Adams’ office confirmed one of the detectives provides security detail
for the Democrat, but said the mayor has no knowledge of what the
officer does on his personal time.
“Every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our
officers, both on and off duty,” the mayor’s office said in an emailed
statement. “We are disturbed by these allegations.”
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Wayne Gosnell, center, attorney for John Woeltz, cryptocurrency
investor charged for kidnapping and false imprisonment, exits a
courtroom, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki
Iwamura)
In response to an emailed inquiry, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed
two members were placed on modified duty Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the labor union representing NYPD detectives
didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday.
Crypto investors John Woeltz and William Duplessie have been charged
in the case. Their lawyers have declined to comment.
Authorities allege that on May 6, the two men lured the victim, who
they knew personally, to a posh townhouse in Manhattan’s Soho
neighborhood by threatening to kill his family.
The man, a 28-year-old Italian national who has not been named by
officials, said he was then held captive for 17 days, as 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.
He eventually agreed to hand over his computer password Friday
morning, then managed to flee the home as his captors went to
retrieve the device.
The investigation into the officers began, incidentally, on the same
day Adams headlined a crypto convention in Las Vegas, where he
described New York as the Bitcoin capital of the country.
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