Arrests Made in Three Countries Over Bitcoin Extortion Allegations

Over the past week, law enforcement agencies in the United States, South Korea, and France have detained individuals suspected of targeting cryptocurrency holders for extortion.

New York, USA

According to AP, on May 27, a 32-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur from Miami, William Duplessis, surrendered to New York police. He faces charges of kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and possession of an unlicensed weapon.

Investigators believe Duplessis and his accomplices kidnapped a 28-year-old Italian tourist and held him in a Manhattan apartment for nearly three weeks. According to the victim’s testimony, he was beaten and coerced into providing access to his digital assets.

Earlier, two suspects were detained in connection with this case—crypto investor John Welz and Beatrice Folchi. Initially charged, Folchi was later released. Welz faces charges of kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, two counts of assault, and illegal possession of a firearm.

As reported by The New York Times, Duplessis is a co-founder of the Swiss investment company Pangea Blockchain Fund. Representatives of the company have not commented on the situation.

Busan, South Korea

On May 27, Busan police arrested a 20-year-old Russian suspected of assault and attempting to rob two local residents. He allegedly acted with two accomplices.

The incident occurred in Seoul on May 21. According to law enforcement, the accomplices invited ten men to a hotel under the pretense of conducting a cryptocurrency transaction. Eight remained in the lobby, while two entered a room with a bag containing 1 billion won ($728,000) in cash.

The assailants, threatening with a fake gun, tied the victims’ hands with zip ties and beat them. One victim managed to escape and warned the other potential buyers of the danger. Together, they scared off the attackers, preventing them from taking the money, and contacted the police.

In the suspects’ hotel room, authorities found a cash register, bulletproof vests, a mock gun, and a telescopic baton. Only one suspect was apprehended immediately, while two managed to flee the country. Interpol has joined the search for them.

The detained suspect is currently being interrogated by the police.

Paris, France

On the morning of May 26, Paris’s Anti-Gang Brigade arrested over a dozen suspects as part of an investigation into two cases of violence against digital asset holders.

One case involved the kidnapping and injury of a 60-year-old father of a manager at a Maltese marketing company providing services to crypto firms. In early May, the attackers forcibly took the man in a van and demanded a ransom of €5 million to €7 million. As a threat, they cut off the hostage’s finger.

Six alleged participants in the attack on the elderly man are in custody and have been charged. All the individuals involved are young people who claim they were recruited to commit the crime.

The second group of detainees is allegedly linked to the attack and attempted kidnapping of the daughter of Paymium exchange founder Pierre Noizat in central Paris on May 13. The assailants, armed with gas canisters and a toy gun, were scared off by passersby.

Investigators are exploring the possibility that a joint criminal organization, recruiting perpetrators through social media, is behind these two incidents.

Since the start of the year, there has been a surge in violent crimes against major cryptocurrency holders worldwide. Earlier, ForkLog examined these cases and the security measures entrepreneurs are urged to adopt.