Crypto entrepreneur arrested in NY: Italian tourist tortured!

Crypto entrepreneur arrested in NY: Italian tourist tortured!

In a shocking case of violence and kidnapping, a 37-year-old crypto entrepreneur from Kentucky was arrested in New York on Tuesday. He is suspected of holding a 28-year-old Italian tourist captive in his luxury apartment in Manhattan for several weeks and severely mistreating him. The tourist had traveled to the US on May 6 to meet a former business partner and had his passport confiscated.

The Italian's nightmare ended on May 23 when he managed to contact a traffic police officer and ask for help. He was then taken to a hospital. During a search of the suspect's apartment, investigators discovered Polaroid photos showing the man tied up and injured. The officers also found suspected torture instruments and a firearm. The suspect is currently in custody while police investigate whether other people were involved in the crime.

Investigations and suspicions of organized crime

The investigation is also focusing on whether the Italian tourist was hired for sex work. It is also being examined whether there may be a connection between the two men from the crypto world. These frightening incidents shed a very dark light on the dark side of the booming crypto market.

Another frightening case occurred at the same time in Paris, where the father of a crypto entrepreneur was kidnapped. Criminals demanded a ransom of between five and seven million euros. In one dramatic incident, the victim was dragged into a van where his finger was severed. The police were able to free the victim and arrested five suspects between the ages of 20 and 27. It is suspected that the perpetrators would have carried out further mutilations had the police not intervened.

The crypto entrepreneur whose father was kidnapped runs companies in Malta and France that specialize in cryptocurrencies. It is known that the victim's family has previously been threatened. The judiciary is investigating kidnapping, false imprisonment and torture. This incident is reminiscent of a similar case three months ago in which a co-founder of the crypto company Ledger was also the victim of a finger-severing ransom robbery, where ransom was also demanded in the form of Bitcoin.

The connection between these criminal incidents reveals the violence that is rampant in the cryptocurrency business environment and raises questions about the safety of those involved. Whether the two cases in New York and Paris are connected remains to be clarified in the ongoing investigation.

You can find out more about this on t-online.de and 1und1.de.