Exclusive | Crypto bro in alleged NYC kidnap, torture plot to be sprung on bond after year at Rikers

Nypost · May 27, 2026 · 515 words · By Joe Marino; Ben Kochman

Criminal justice system Cryptocurrency Wealth Legal Proceedings

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Crypto bro in alleged NYC kidnap, torture plot to be sprung on bond after year at Rikers See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Crypto bro in alleged NYC kidnap, torture plot to be sprung on bond after year at Rikers See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleOne of the crypto bigwigs charged with the gruesome torturing of an Italian millionaire in a posh SoHo townhouse will be released on bond after spending a year at Rikers Island, The Post has learned.

Common ground

William Duplessie, 33, will be sprung from the notorious city lockup on a reduced $250,000 bail package, with his relatives agreeing to put up collateral, according to sources familiar with the case.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Criminal justice system story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Duplessie and his alleged business partner, 38-year-old Kentucky crypto king John Woeltz, are accused of holding wealthy trader Michael Carturan captive for more than two weeks last May?
How does this story connect Criminal justice system with Cryptocurrency Wealth over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/crypto-bro-in-alleged-nyc-kidnap-torture-p…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Duplessie and his alleged business partner, 38-year-old Kentucky crypto king John Woeltz, are accused of holding wealthy trader Michael Carturan captive for more than two weeks last May”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (New York Magazine, other web reports) confirm that William Duplessie and John Woeltz are accused of holding Michael Carturan captive in a Manhattan townhouse for several weeks in May.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 24, 2025 ... Two men accused of torturing and holding a man hostage in a Manhattan townhouse for several weeks as they tried to access his cryptocurrency ...
https://www.facebook.com/cnn/posts/two-men-accused-of-tortur…

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 2, 2025 ... William Duplessie and John Woeltz hatched grandiose plans in business and politics but instead drew charges in an alleged kidnap scheme.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/crypto-duplessie-woeltz-kidnap-t…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 11, 2025 ... William Duplessie and John Woeltz spent millions partying at NYC clubs — until one was accused of torturing an Italian tourist for his ...
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/william-duplessie-jo…

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Claim 2: “The judge had set the same $1 million bond amount for Duplessie, but agreed to reduce the size of the bond to $250,000 last month”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Judge Gregory Carro initially set bail at $1 million for both, and other results confirm Duplessie was later released on a reduced package.

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web search NEUTRAL — A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · The meaning of JUDGE is one who makes judgments. How to use judge in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Judge.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judge

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — To judge a competition is to decide officially who has won. Judging by their home, they seem to be quite wealthy. All three judges found him guilty of professional misconduct. A panel of judges chose …
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/judge

schedule

Claim 3: “Woeltz was arrested inside the alleged SoHo house of horrors after a barefoot Carturan flagged down a traffic cop”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Woeltz, a crypto dealer purportedly worth $100 million, masterminded the sick scheme”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify John Woeltz as a cryptocurrency investor/dealer from Kentucky.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2025 ... wbze.de. 1y. Recent Posts. . Cryptocurrency Investor Accused of Kidnapping and Torturing Business Partner in NYC.
https://www.facebook.com/NewsNationNow/posts/kentucky-crypto…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2025 ... John Woeltz, 37, was arrested Friday on charges of kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and assault, among other charges.
https://www.wlwt.com/article/john-woeltz-arrested-for-kidnap…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2025 ... A cryptocurrency investor has been arrested and charged with kidnapping a man and keeping him locked up for weeks in an upscale Manhattan apartment.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/25/us/new-york-crypto-investor-k…

info

Claim 5: “Duplessie’s bond — secured by bail bondsman to the stars Ira Judelson — was approved by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro Wednesday afternoon.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web search results confirm the general case and the existence of Ira Judelson as a bail bondsman, and mention Judge Gregory Carro setting bail, there is no second independent source specifically confirming that Justice Carro approved this specific bond secured by Judelson on a Wednesday afternoon.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonin_Scalia

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American jurist who has served since 2005 as the 17th chief justice of the United States. Though primarily an institutionalist, he has been descri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Neil McGill Gorsuch ( GOR-sutch; born August 29, 1967) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gorsuch

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 6: “Duplessie will wear an ankle bracelet and has agreed to location monitoring”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding an ankle bracelet or location monitoring for William Duplessie.

schedule

Claim 7: “Duplessie was nabbed four days later — after living it up in the Hamptons over the Memorial Day holiday weekend”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 8: “Woeltz was released on house arrest last July after his father, Matthew Van Woeltz, put his home on the line and his mother Joan agreed to cover his full $1 million bond”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of Wikipedia entries for John the Apostle and the Gospel of John, which are irrelevant to the legal case of John Woeltz. No relevant evidence regarding his parents or house arrest was found in the search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Church tradition has held that John is the author of the Gospel of John and four other books of the New Testament – the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle

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web search NEUTRAL — Bultmann, for example, argued that the opening theme of the Gospel of John, the preexisting Logos, along with John's duality of light versus darkness, were originally Gnostic themes that John adopted.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a w…
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=…

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Claim 9: “torturing him inside the Prince Street manse for the password to his crypto accounts.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the accusations of torture at a Manhattan/SoHo townhouse to obtain cryptocurrency passwords from the victim.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 ... Crypto millionaire William Duplessie, who spent a year in jail for allegedly torturing an Italian investor last ear, will now be on house ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/us-news/accused-crypto-creep-c…

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Claim 10: “William Duplessie, 33, will be sprung from the notorious city lockup on a reduced $250,000 bail package”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm William Duplessie was released from Rikers Island on a reduced bail package, and one specifically mentions the $1M bond context for the pair, while another confirms he left court on a reduced package.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — John Woeltz, 37, was released from Rikers Island on $1 million bond, the New York Post reported. The release came a week after a Manhattan judge granted bond for Woeltz and his alleged accomplice, 33-…
https://www.ktvu.com/news/alleged-bitcoin-torturer-walks-fre…

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web search NEUTRAL — 00:15so you can have to spend a year at Rikers?01:19Are you still a crypto millionaire?01:25William, what's the plan? Where are you going to go now?
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xabkhq2

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Crypto bro William Duplessie was allegedly once kicked out of the ritzy Aman, says a source.Duplessie’s next court date is Friday. Woeltz has been arraigned on the same charges and is being held witho…
https://pagesix.com/2025/05/28/society/alleged-crypto-tortur…

help

Claim 11: “Duplessie and Woeltz have each pleaded not guilty”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific pleas entered by Duplessie and Woeltz.

schedule

Claim 12: “The alleged torturer and his dad James Duplessie, a financier, had co-founded Switzerland-based blockchain funds in the years before his arrest”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “The Miami, Fla. resident is expected to be released from custody as soon as Thursday.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results explicitly identify William Duplessie as a 'Miami resident'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2025 · Second suspect in New York crypto kidnapping and torture case surrenders to police. Miami resident William Duplessie, 33, is being charg.
https://www.facebook.com/WPSDLocal6/posts/miami-resident-wil…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2025 · Authorities say John Woeltz and William Duplessie tortured their Italian business partner using chainsaws and electrocution devices for more than two weeks.
https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/john-woeltz-william-duples…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 25, 2025 · New York Supreme Criminal Court Judge Gregory Carro set bail at $1 million each for John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, who have been in ...
https://www.kcra.com/article/manhattan-cryptocurrency-kidnap…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.