Crypto investor charged with kidnapping, torturing an Italian for passwords

A Manhattan crypto investor is facing serious charges after allegedly kidnapping and torturing an Italian man in a disturbing bid to extract access to digital assets.

John Woeltz, 37, was arraigned on Saturday in Manhattan criminal court following his arrest on Friday. He stands accused of holding a 28-year-old Italian man captive for weeks inside a luxury townhouse in Soho, reportedly rented for $30,000 per month.

According to police reports cited by The New York Times, the victim arrived in the US on May 6 and was allegedly abducted by Woeltz and an accomplice.

The attackers are said to have stolen the man’s passport and electronic devices before demanding the password to his Bitcoin (BTC) wallet. When he refused, the suspects allegedly subjected him to prolonged physical abuse.

Source: Mario Nawfal

Related: Violent crypto robberies on the rise: Six attacks that targeted investors

Crypto victim beaten, electroshocked

The victim described being beaten,

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Bitcoiners fire back at Aussie senator's 'you can't eat Bitcoin' remark

Australian Senator Gerard Rennick has drawn criticism from the Bitcoin community following his remarks referring to Bitcoin as a Ponzi scheme and questioning the asset’s value because it can’t be eaten.

“You can’t eat Bitcoin,” Rennick said in a May 23 X post, responding to an X user who questioned his stance after Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $111,970 on May 22.

Rennick says Bitcoin will go to $1 million but is a “Ponzi Scheme”

“Bitcoin will ultimately go to $1 million dollars. Why because it’s a Ponzi scheme whereby BlackRock will pump more and more dollars into a supply constrained product,” Rennick said.

“What exactly will this product produce?” Rennick said. He added that Bitcoin (BTC) will produce “absolutely nothing” and Australia “needs real engineers not financial engineers.”

Source: Gerard Rennick

Bitcoiners across the world were quick to respond to Rennick’s comments. The Australian Bitcoin Industry Body (ABIB) <a data-ct-non-breakable="null"

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Bitcoiners fire back at Aussie senator's 'you can't eat Bitcoin' remark

Australian Senator Gerard Rennick has drawn criticism from the Bitcoin community following his remarks referring to Bitcoin as a Ponzi scheme and questioning the asset’s value because it isn’t digestible.

“You can’t eat Bitcoin,” Rennick said in a May 23 X post, responding to an X user who questioned his stance after Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $111,970 on May 22.

Rennick says Bitcoin will go to $1 million but is a “Ponzi Scheme”

“Bitcoin will ultimately go to $1 million dollars. Why because it’s a Ponzi scheme whereby BlackRock will pump more and more dollars into a supply constrained product,” Rennick said.

“What exactly will this product produce?” Rennick said. He added that Bitcoin (BTC) will produce “absolutely nothing” and Australia “needs real engineers not financial engineers.”

Source: Gerard Rennick

Bitcoiners across the world were quick to respond to Rennick’s comments. The Australian Bitcoin Industry Body (ABIB) <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/AusBTCIndBody/status/1926087884810948694"

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-community-controversy-australian-senator-gerard-rennick-bitcoin-comments?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Crypto ETFs won’t lose ‘their luster’ as wallet adoption grows — Cathie Wood

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood says crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will likely maintain their place in the economy, regardless of how widespread crypto wallet adoption becomes over the next decade.

“I think ETFs are an important stepping stone because, you know, wallets seem so complicated, so much friction for consumers, they just wanna push a button,” Wood said at the Solana Accelerate event in New York on May 23.

Wallets remain an insurance policy, says Wood

“So ETFs for those who want the convenience, I don’t think, will lose a lot of their luster,” she said. “But they will be a stepping stone into wallet-based.” Wood reiterated the extra layer of protection that crypto wallets provide:

“These are insurance policies against something going wrong in the traditional world.”

Bitbo data suggests that there are around 200 million active Bitcoin (BTC) wallets worldwide. Meanwhile, the trading week ending May 23 saw approximately $2.75

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-etfs-wallets-bitcoin-solana-ether-ark-invest-cathie-wood?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss%3F_ts%3D1748174427&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Crypto ETFs won’t lose ‘their luster’ as wallet adoption grows — Cathie Wood

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood says crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will likely maintain their place in the economy no matter how big crypto wallet adoption becomes over the next decade.

“I think ETFs are an important stepping stone because, you know, wallets seem so complicated, so much friction for consumers, they just wanna push a button,” Wood said at the Solana Accelerate event in New York on May 23.

Wallets remain an insurance policy, says Wood

“So ETFs for those who want the convenience, I don’t think, will lose a lot of their luster,” she said. “But they will be a stepping stone into wallet-based.”

“These are insurance policies against something going wrong in the traditional world.”

Bitbo data suggests that there are around 200 million active Bitcoin (BTC) wallets worldwide. Meanwhile, the trading week ending May 23 saw approximately $2.75 billion inflows into US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs,

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-etfs-wallets-bitcoin-solana-ether-ark-invest-cathie-wood?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood says crypto ETFs are here to stay, crypto industry executive and users report scam Ledger phishing letters sent by physical mail. Meanwhile, a judge has vacated key fraud and manipulation convictions against Mango Markets exploiter Avraham Eisenberg.

Crypto ETFs won’t lose ‘their luster’ as wallet adoption grows — Cathie Wood

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood says crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) will likely maintain their place in the economy no matter how big crypto wallet adoption becomes over the next decade.

“I think ETFs are an important stepping stone because, you know, wallets seem so complicated, so much friction for consumers, they just wanna push a button,” Wood said at the Solana Accelerate event in New York on May 23.

“So ETFs for those who want the convenience, I don’t think, will lose a lot of their luster,” she said. “But they will be a stepping

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/what-happened-in-crypto-today?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss%3F_ts%3D1748174427&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Durov blocked from attending Oslo Freedom Forum — Human Rights Foundation

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov will not be physically attending the Oslo Freedom Forum in Oslo, Norway, after French courts denied his request to travel to the Scandinavian country.

According to an announcement from the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) — a non-profit organization that advocates for universal human rights and individual liberty, and the host of the Oslo Freedom Forum — Durov will still deliver his keynote address remotely over a livestream.

“It is unfortunate that French courts would block Mr. Durov from participating in an event where his voice is so needed,” HRF founder and CEO Thor Halvorssen said.

Durov continues to be a vocal advocate for free speech and individual liberty. Tech and crypto industry executives closely monitor developments related to Pavel Durov and the implications for individual freedom from his ongoing legal battle in France.

Source: Pavel Durov

Related: Pavel Durov

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Durov blocked from attending Oslo Freedom Forum — Human Rights Foundation

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov will not be physically attending the Oslo Freedom Forum in Oslo, Norway, after French courts denied his request to travel to the Scandinavian country.

According to an announcement from the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) — a non-profit organization that advocates for universal human rights and individual liberty, and the host of the Oslo Freedom Forum — Durov will still deliver his keynote address remotely over a livestream.

“It is unfortunate that French courts would block Mr. Durov from participating in an event where his voice is so needed,” HRF founder and CEO Thor Halvorssen said.

Durov continues to be a vocal advocate for free speech and individual liberty. Tech and crypto industry executives closely monitor developments related to Pavel Durov and the implications for individual freedom from his ongoing legal battle in France.

Source: Pavel Durov

Related: Pavel Durov

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/durov-blocked-attending-oslo-freedom-forum?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Industry exec sounds alarm on Ledger phishing letter delivered by USPS

Scammers posing as Ledger, a hardware wallet manufacturer, are sending physical letters to crypto users instructing them to “validate” their wallets or risk losing access to funds, in the latest phishing attack to impact the industry.

BitGo CEO Mike Belshe shared a picture of the scam letter, which featured a QR code, presumably linked to a malicious phishing site. The letter was sent through the United States Postal Service (USPS), according to the executive.

“These are all scams do not fall for any of these,” Troy Lindsey wrote after receiving a copy of the phishing letter.

A copy of the scam Phishing letter. Source: Mike Belshe

Cointelegraph reached out to Ledger for comment but was unable to obtain a response by the time of publication.

This phishing attempt highlights the ever-evolving complexity and tactics of social engineering scams designed to steal crypto private keys, user

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/industry-exec-alarm-ledger-phishing-letter-usps?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss%3F_ts%3D1748174427&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Industry exec sounds alarm on Ledger phishing letter delivered by USPS

Scammers posing as Ledger, a hardware wallet manufacturer, are sending physical letters to crypto users instructing them to “validate” their wallets or risk losing access to funds, in the latest phishing attack to impact the industry.

BitGo CEO Mike Belshe shared a picture of the scam letter, which featured a QR code, presumably linked to a malicious phishing site. The letter was sent through the United States Postal Service (USPS), according to the executive.

“These are all scams do not fall for any of these,” Troy Lindsey wrote after receiving a copy of the phishing letter.

A copy of the scam Phishing letter. Source: Mike Belshe

Cointelegraph reached out to Ledger for comment but was unable to obtain a response by the time of publication.

This phishing attempt highlights the ever-evolving complexity and tactics of social engineering scams designed to steal crypto private keys, user

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/news/industry-exec-alarm-ledger-phishing-letter-usps?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound