The New York Police Department has reportedly placed two officers on modified duties after the pair was accused of being linked to a local townhouse where a crypto trader was allegedly kidnapped and tortured before escaping.
NYPD detective Roberto Cordero, who serves on New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ security detail, is said to have picked up the alleged victim, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, from the airport and driven him to the townhouse, The New York Times reported on May 29, citing two city officials with knowledge of the matter.
The Times reported that Cordero and NYPD detective Raymond J. Low, who investigates narcotics cases in Manhattan, also provided security at the Soho townhouse where Carturan claimed he escaped from.
Both were placed on modified duties while an investigation is carried out.
ABC11 reported that one of the detectives was working off-duty when he allegedly drove Carturan to the townhouse while the other was paid by one of the suspects to provide security services.
“We are disturbed by these allegations, and as soon as it came to our attention, the officers were placed on modified duty,” Mayor Adams’ office said in a statement to ABC11.
NYPD officers are not permitted to work for private security firms without the department’s approval, and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs division is carrying out the investigation, ABC11 said.
John Woeltz and William Duplessie have been charged with kidnapping and torturing Carturan, who said he escaped from the five-story Manhattan townhouse on May 22 — the day he alleged he was told would be his “death day.”
The pair is accused of holding Carturan captive for 17 days as part of an attempt to pressure him into revealing his crypto wallet phrase. NBC New York reported on May 26 that Carturan has an estimated net worth of around $30 million.
Woeltz is known by some as the “crypto king” of Kentucky, while Duplessie, a Swiss national, is a co-founder of the crypto-focused venture capital firm Pangea Blockchain Fund.
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Police allege Carturan was tied up with electrical cords and electrocuted. His feet were also tased while submerged in water, and an electric chainsaw was held to his leg, with the threat that it would be cut off.
Woeltz indicted, dozens of complaints against NY cops
A grand jury also indicted Woeltz on May 29, and the judge denied his bail request, the Associated Press reported.
Woeltz’s attorney, Wayne Gosnell, unsuccessfully argued for his client’s release on a $2 million bond, citing Woeltz’s lack of a criminal record, philosophy degree and professional accomplishments.
Duplessie is awaiting his indictment.
Cordero, a 20-year NYPD veteran, has been the subject of four civilian complaints, including two for abuse of authority. One of those led to disciplinary action in January 2009, according to the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s NYPD Member of Service Histories database.
He was also accused of using excessive physical force in a November 2014 incident, but the investigation stalled after the complainant stopped cooperating.
Low has had nine complaints filed against him, including allegations of excessive force that restricted breathing, use of a chokehold, and providing a false official statement.
Although Low has not faced disciplinary action, he is currently awaiting a decision related to the restricted breathing and false statement complaints, both stemming from a November 2023 incident.
The last complaint filed against Low was made in January 2024.
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