Crypto fraudster held Italian hostage in New York for access to bitcoins
Date: 2025-05-27 Author: Henry Casey Categories: IN WORLD
Crypto investor John Weltz has been arrested in New York, accused of kidnapping and holding a 28-year-old Italian citizen. According to the prosecutor's office, the crime occurred in early May: the tourist was lured to a luxury apartment in Manhattan and held there for more than two weeks, trying to force access to his bitcoins.
Investigators found that on May 6, the man was deprived of his freedom and subjected to prolonged torture. The victim reported that he was tied up, injected with drugs, beaten with a stun gun, threatened with a weapon, and even suspended over a flight of stairs, threatening to kill him. The criminals demanded the password to the crypto wallet.
On May 23, the victim, pretending to cooperate, said the password was on a laptop in another room. Taking advantage of the moment when one of the attackers was distracted, the Italian managed to escape from the mansion and seek help from a police officer. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where the nature of the beating and other injuries were confirmed.
That same evening, the police arrested Weltz. According to prosecutors, evidence pointing to preparations for a crime was found during a search of the apartment: drugs, a saw, barbed wire, a bulletproof vest, night vision devices, ammunition and photos of the victim with a gun pointed at his head. No other participants in the crime have yet been reported.
Weltz was charged with a number of counts: kidnapping, assault, false imprisonment and possession of weapons. The court refused to release him on bail, emphasizing that the suspect has a private jet and a helicopter, which makes the risk of escape too high. The hearing on the case will take place in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a similar crime in the UK has emerged against the backdrop of this incident. Last week, an American tourist in London lost over $120,000 in crypto assets after being kidnapped by a fake Uber driver. The victim was drugged and then handed over access to his wallet.
Experts warn of an alarming trend: physical attacks on cryptocurrency owners are becoming more frequent. At least 25 such cases have been recorded since the beginning of 2025, and in most of them, the attackers acted with the aim of gaining access to digital assets.
