FILE PHOTO: John Woeltz, 37, appears for arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court after he was arrested for allegedly holding an Italian tourist hostage in an apparent scheme to steal the man's crypto currency fortune in New York City, U.S., May 24, 2025. Curtis Means/Pool via REUTERS/File photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Two men pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges they kidnapped a man for three weeks in Manahttan's upscale SoHo neighborhood, shocked him with electric wires and dangled him over a staircase to try to get him to give up his bitcoin password.
John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, have been detained since their arrests last month on kidnapping and other charges. Both defendants face up to life in prison if convicted.
