Another Suspect Is Charged in Bitcoin Kidnapping and Torture Case

Supported by The man, William Duplessie, surrendered to the police Tuesday morning. Authorities have said the victim was an Italian man who was tormented in a luxury Manhattan townhouse for weeks. By Chelsia Rose Marcius and Maia Coleman A third person accused of kidnapping a man and torturing him for nearly three weeks to steal his Bitcoin fortune surrendered to the police in New York City on Tuesday morning, Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said. The police identified the man, who has connections to Switzerland and Miami, as William Duplessie, 33. He spent days negotiating his surrender with the Police Department after the arrest on Friday of two other suspects, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter. Mr. Duplessie was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday night and charged with kidnapping, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. He was also charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon. He was held without bail. One of the people arrested on Friday, John Woeltz, 37, a cryptocurrency investor, faces kidnapping, assault and firearms charges. The other, Beatrice Folchi, 24, who was initially charged by the police with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, was quickly released and her prosecution was deferred, one of the officials said. Shortly before 11:30 a.m., Mr. Duplessie, in handcuffs and flanked by two detectives, was walked out of a precinct house on East 21st Street in Manhattan. Wearing a white polo shirt and black pants, Mr. Duplessie did not respond to questions as he was placed in a waiting police cruiser. The episode burst into public view on Friday morning when the victim, an Italian man named Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, escaped from a lavish, 17-room townhouse in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan, where he was being held captive, and flagged down a traffic agent. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.