Two New York Police Department detectives are under investigation for their alleged involvement in the captivity of an Italian cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
Unapproved Security Services
Two New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives who reportedly provided security at a luxury apartment where an Italian cryptocurrency entrepreneur was held captive are under investigation. Detectives Roberto Cordero and Raymond J. Low were placed on modified duty on May 28, according to a New York Times report citing anonymous city officials.
The probe into the two detectives’ possible connection to the torture of Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan came days after the Italian’s dramatic escape from the luxurious Manhattan townhouse. Cordero and Low, a narcotics specialist, are believed to have provided unauthorized security services for Carturan’s captors. Cordero is also believed to have picked up Carturan from the airport on May 6 and brought him to the townhouse.
As widely reported, Carturan was held against his will by two cryptocurrency investors and former business partners, John Woeltz and William Duplessie. During the ordeal, which lasted more than two weeks, Carturan was reportedly tortured by Woeltz and Duplessie, who were demanding access to a cryptocurrency wallet holding millions of dollars in bitcoin.
The Italian entrepreneur eventually escaped captivity and filed a report with the police, leading to Woeltz and Duplessie’s arrest. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has since charged the two cryptocurrency investors with kidnapping and torturing Carturan. A grand jury has indicted Woeltz, with the indictment set to be unsealed at his arraignment on June 11.
The New York Times report stated that Cordero, a 20-year NYPD veteran, had been the subject of several complaints accusing him of abusing his authority and using physical force. Similarly, Low has also been the subject of complaints.
Source: Bitcoin
