Crypto Boss Faces Release After Year Behind Bars

A 33‑year‑old crypto figure, William Duplessie, is scheduled to leave Rikers Island after a year in custody. He will be freed on a $250,000 bail package that his family has agreed to back up. The Manhattan court approved the deal on Wednesday, and he should exit the jail by Thursday.

Duplessie is accused of taking an Italian businessman, Michael Carturan, captive in a fancy SoHo townhouse for over two weeks last May. Prosecutors say he was forced to give up his crypto passwords after being beaten, cut with a chainsaw and subjected to other cruel acts. His alleged partner in the crime is 38‑year‑old John Woeltz, a Kentucky crypto trader who prosecutors claim had a net worth of about $100 million.

Woeltz was released on house arrest in July after his parents posted a $1 million bond. The judge had set the same amount for Duplessie, but lowered it to $250,000 after he spent a year in jail. Both men have pleaded not guilty and say the alleged torture was part of a bizarre, consensual party. They will appear in court next Monday for a status hearing.

Duplessie’s release comes with conditions: he will wear an ankle bracelet and his movements will be monitored by bail bondsman Ira Judelson, who has a track record of helping high‑profile defendants get out of jail.

The case began when Carturan, after being freed from the townhouse, told a traffic officer what happened and identified his captors. Woeltz was arrested on the spot, while Duplessie was caught four days later in the Hamptons after a holiday weekend. Both men had previously co‑founded Swiss blockchain funds with Duplessie’s father, a financier.