The New York Police Department is investigating two detectives who provided off-duty security services at a Manhattan townhouse where an Italian man was allegedly kidnapped and tortured for weeks by two cryptocurrency investors seeking to steal his Bitcoin password.
One of the detectives, Roberto Cordero, a 20-year veteran assigned to Mayor Eric Adams’s Executive Protection Unit, reportedly drove the victim from John F. Kennedy International Airport to the townhouse in SoHo on May 6, 2025. The other detective, affiliated with the Narcotics Division, also worked off-duty for one of the suspects. Both detectives were placed on modified duty—removal from active street patrol and reassignment to administrative tasks pending the outcome of the Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.
The victim, a 28-year-old Italian cryptocurrency trader, was held captive for 17 days, during which prosecutors say he was subjected to severe torture including beatings, electric shocks, threats with firearms, and being dangled from a five-story staircase. The suspects, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, allegedly used these tactics to coerce the victim into revealing his crypto passwords. The victim eventually escaped, bloodied and shoeless, and sought help from a police officer.
Authorities emphasize that the detectives had no known involvement in the criminal acts and that the mayor’s office was unaware of their off-duty employment with the suspects. NYPD rules prohibit officers from working private security jobs without explicit departmental approval, and the Internal Affairs investigation is examining whether proper authorization was obtained.
Both suspects have pleaded not guilty to charges including kidnapping, assault, and unlawful imprisonment. The case has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and oversight within the NYPD, especially regarding officers working off-duty for private clients.
The mayor’s office stated, “All city employees are expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off duty. We are disturbed by these allegations and have taken immediate action.”