The Italian man allegedly kidnapped by two crypto investors was moving about Manhattan freely during the days he claimed he was tortured in captivity, lawyers for the suspects said in court Wednesday.
Lawyers representing William Duplessie, 32, and John Woeltz, 37, both claimed that their alleged victim Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, 28, was seen in photos and videos ‘laughing and smiling’ on the days he was supposedly being violently extorted for the password to unlock the bitcoin in his crypto wallet worth millions of dollars.
Prosecutors instead argued that Carturan was clearly in distress, as surveillance video showed him running barefoot out of the SoHo apartment he was allegedly locked away in for 17 days.
Sam Talkin, Duplessie’s lawyer, said photos and videos showed Carturan participating in group sex and smoking crack cocaine while ‘laughing and smiling the whole time,’ the Associated Press reported.
‘The story that he is selling doesn´t make sense,’ Talkin said in Manhattan Supreme Court as the defendants were formally arraigned. Both men were ordered to be held behind bars until their next court date on July 15.
Woeltz´s lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, said that witnesses told him Carturan came and went as he pleased from the upscale town house where he says he was held – going to church, clubs and dinners.
Duplessie and Woeltz both pleaded not guilty to first-degree kidnapping, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and assault.
Assistant District Attorney Sarah Khan attempted to explain away the photographic and video evidence presented by the defense by saying someone who supports the defendants has been selectively leaking the content to mislead.
John Woeltz, 37, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to first-degree kidnapping, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and assault
William Duplessie, 32, appeared Wednesday as well and pleaded not guilty to the same charges, which are related to him and Woeltz allegedly kidnapping and torturing an Italian man so he’d give up the password to his bitcoin account
Khan maintained that Carturan was constantly being watched, was not permitted to leave the house without being guarded and was subjected to violence.
This allegedly included pistol whipping him, attempting to light him on fire and urinating on him, according to ABC6.
The alleged kidnappers even had a chainsaw and threatened to cut the his legs off if he didn’t reveal his passwords to his crypto accounts.
When he emerged from the apartment barefoot and bloody, Carturan told police he had been severely beaten, drugged, shocked with electrical wires and threatened with death.
Duplessie and Woeltz, who were arrested in May after Carturan got loose, also took photos of him in various poses and acts to create the impression that he was not being held against his will, Khan said.
Khan also dropped the bombshell that discussions her office has had with other unnamed law enforcement agencies has indicated to her that Woeltz and Duplessie have tortured people before. She did not elaborate any further than that.
Prosecutors say that on May 6, the two men lured Carturo to their townhouse in the posh neighborhood of SoHo by threatening to kill his family.
This had been the third time Carturo met with Duplessie and Woeltz, according to prosecutors.
The alleged torture occurred in a massive luxury townhouse in SoHo, a posh New York City neighborhood
Duplessie (left) and Woeltz (right) were known for their partying lifestyle and were regulars at New York City’s exclusive night club The Box, reportedly spending over $100,000 in single nights there
Duplessie (pictured) and Woeltz would reportedly host extravagant parties at the residence, offering guests drugs, alcohol and food from NYC hotspots including Blue Ribbon Sushi, Nobu, and Cipriani’s
After being tormented with electrical wires, being forced to smoke from a crack pipe and being dangled from a staircase five stories high, prosecutors say, that’s when Carturo handed over his password.
While the alleged kidnappers went to go retrieve his device, that’s when Carturo said he was able to escape and call police.
Khan said he hasn’t received his money or electronic devices back.
Woeltz started renting the multimillion-dollar townhouse on March 17, less than two months before the alleged crime. He pays his landlord between $75,000 and $95,000 per month to reside there, insiders told TMZ.
He and Duplessie, 32, intent on climbing the elite Manhattan social ladder, would reportedly host extravagant parties at the residence, offering guests drugs, alcohol and food from NYC hotspots including Blue Ribbon Sushi, Nobu, and Cipriani’s.
Photographs captured from inside the stunning six-story home show how the pair littered the kitchen with cocaine, empty top shelf liquor bottles, including Don Julio and Greygoose, mixers, disposable vapes, and empty take-out containers.
The pair also regularly frequented The Box, an exclusive erotic nightclub in Nolita, with insiders alleging they would spend upwards of $100,000 during a night out and often brought women back to the townhouse to continue partying.
Police have locked down the property while they carry out their investigation. Officials will not release the home back to its owner until the probe is complete.
