A case occurred in which a 'Kentucky cryptocurrency king' held a man captive and tortured him for more than two weeks in order to steal his Bitcoin password
In recent years, there have been
Crypto Investor Charged With Kidnapping and Torturing Man for Weeks - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/nyregion/crypto-investor-torture-italian-tourist.html
Crypto investor in New York charged in kidnapping and torture plot | US crime | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/24/crypto-investor-tortue-kidnapping-new-york
Italian tourist 'tortured and dangled from fifth floor for Bitcoin password'
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/05/25/cryptocurrency-investor-kidnap-torture-bitcoin-password/
On May 23, 2025, a 37-year-old cryptocurrency investor named John Waltz was arrested on suspicion of imprisoning a man in a luxury townhouse in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood and torturing him for more than two weeks.
It has been reported that the man held captive by Waltz is a 28-year-old Italian man named Michael Valentino Teofrasto Cartullan. According to authorities, Cartullan was abducted on May 6th when he was visiting New York from Italy and visiting a luxury townhouse rented by Waltz. Although much is unknown about the relationship between Waltz and Cartullan, some reports say that they were 'former business partners.'
After taking Cartullan's electronic devices and passport, Waltz demanded his Bitcoin password and, when Cartullan refused, Waltz and another man tied Cartullan's wrists and tortured him for three weeks, including beating him, electrocuting him with a wire, hitting him with a gun, holding him at head level and threatening to 'kill his family.'
The torture included urinating on him, forcing him to snort cocaine, and cutting his feet with a saw. At one point, he was carried to the top of a flight of stairs and hung from the edge, threatening to kill him if he did not give up the password.
The torture continued into the morning of May 23, when Mr. Cartullan managed to escape just after 9:30 a.m. and seek help from a nearby traffic police officer. Mr. Cartullan was also fitted with an AirTag to track his movements, according to the source.
Police officers raided Waltz's luxury townhouse shortly after Cartullan fled, and Waltz was arrested. Polaroid photos of Cartullan being bound and assaulted were reportedly found in the luxury townhouse, along with the gun and saw used in the torture. Cartullan was taken to hospital in stable condition and treated for his injuries.
Waltz is known as the 'Kentucky Cryptocurrency King' and is estimated to have assets of $100 million. The luxury townhouse where the man was held captive has eight bedrooms and the rent is said to be a whopping $30,000.
You can see Waltz being taken away by police and the luxury townhouse where the crime occurred in the news video below.
Waltz being taken away by police officers
With both of my arms held by the police officer, I got into the police car.
The luxury townhouse where the incident occurred is shrouded in an ominous atmosphere.
Waltz was
The New York Times reported that an Italian woman named Beatrice Forchi, who is said to have cooperated with Waltz, was also arrested and charged. However, as of May 24, Forchi was walking around freely outdoors, and told a reporter from the tabloid New York Post, 'I have not been arrested,' and 'I have left everything to my lawyer. I can't comment on anything right now.'
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in Note, Posted by log1h_ik