Crypto millionaire kidnaps and tortures tourists – investigators on the trail!

Crypto millionaire kidnaps and tortures tourists – investigators on the trail!

A 37-year-old US crypto investor is seriously accused of kidnapping a 28-year-old Italian tourist and brutally torturing him over three weeks. The incidents occurred in New York, where the victim arrived in early May and voluntarily went to the investor's townhouse. In fact, the perpetrators wanted to extort the password to the victim's Bitcoin wallet in order to illegally steal their crypto assets. The investor was arrested at his home on Friday, while a 24-year-old accomplice from Italy, who had studied in the US and worked as an assistant to the investor, was also arrested. A third person involved in the crime is currently on the run tagesanzeiger.ch reported.

The victim eventually escaped from the property in Nolita and contacted a traffic police officer who provided him with assistance. According to reports, the investor and his accomplice initially took all of the victim's electronic devices and his passport and clearly demanded the access code to the Bitcoin wallet. If the victim refused, they resorted to brutal measures: they were tied up, beaten and tortured with electric shocks. Death threats against his family served as an additional intimidation tactic.

The brutality of the acts

According to the extensive investigation, the victim was not only physically tortured during his time in captivity, but the perpetrators also held him over a railing and threatened to take the lives of his family. This was all done to increase pressure on the victim and force them to reveal the requested password. The brutal abuse led to serious charges being leveled against the investor, including kidnapping for ransom, assault and false imprisonment. The evidence against the suspect is extremely incriminating, reports kosmo.at.

During the search of the investor's apartment, the police officers found not only a firearm, but also photo documentation of the torture he had suffered. Two officers were present in the building at the time of the search and will be interviewed in the coming days to gather further information about the planning of the kidnapping and the background of the perpetrators.

The charges were filed last Saturday against the main suspect, who is now standing trial. The case not only raises questions about the safety of tourists in the US, but also highlights the dangers associated with cryptocurrencies and their misuse.