(NewsNation) — The brutality alleged in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian cryptocurrency investor is turning even the heads of seasoned FBI veterans.
“This is like Whitey Bulger-esque, mafioso type of torture,” ex-FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer tells “NewsNation Prime,” referring to the Boston gangster known for his sadistic methods.
Kentucky cryptocurrency investor John Woeltz, 37, allegedly kidnapped the Italian man early this month and confined him an upscale Manhattan residence. Authorities say the visitor was beaten, shocked, urinated on and drugged in an attempt to get his Bitcoin password, until the man managed to escape.
“Really, it was brilliant that he didn’t give up the password. Right at that point, they could have killed him,” said Coffindaffer, a NewsNation law and justice contributor. “He was smart to be able to endure for three weeks all of this torture and to have his mind about him to be able to still escape.”
Woeltz was charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a firearm and ordered held without bail. Another suspect is at large, and police are questioning a third person.
Bobby Chacon, a retired FBI special agent, said the case is striking because cryptocurrency crimes are usually associated with high-tech methods such as hacking. Here, he notes, the perpetrators allegedly used old-school violence to try to get at the digital assets.
“They’re tying him to a chair and they’re shocking him with wires. This is something that’s very low-tech in a high-tech world,” he said.
Woeltz was seen as a successful investor with considerable wealth, Chacon said, which is another reason the case is unusual.
“For him to be involved in something so low-tech and something so hands-on (is) really surprising,” he said.
Coffindaffer says sometimes appearances can be deceiving.
“We’ve seen this all the time working white-collar cases,” she said. “A lot of white-collar criminals, they’re really at their break. They are so in fear of losing everything they have, living these grandiose lifestyles.
“I’ve seen individuals hang themselves, individuals lash out in manners that are very violent. They just can’t stand the thought of losing what they have.”