Two New York Police Department detectives are under investigation for their alleged connection to the kidnapping and abuse of Italian cryptocurrency entrepreneur Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan. According to a New York Times report citing anonymous city officials, detectives Roberto Cordero and Raymond J. Low were placed on modified duty on May 28.
Allegations of Unauthorized Security Work
The report said the detectives may have provided unauthorized security at a luxury Manhattan townhouse where Carturan was allegedly held captive. Cordero is also believed to have picked Carturan up from the airport on May 6 and transported him to the residence.
The investigation followed Carturan’s dramatic escape from the townhouse. Authorities allege he was held against his will by two cryptocurrency investors and former business partners, John Woeltz and William Duplessie. Over a period of more than two weeks, the pair allegedly tortured him in an effort to obtain access to a crypto wallet containing millions of dollars in bitcoin.
Criminal Charges Already Filed
After escaping, Carturan reported the incident to police, leading to the arrests of Woeltz and Duplessie. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has since charged both men with kidnapping and torturing Carturan. A grand jury has already indicted Woeltz, and the indictment is expected to be unsealed at his arraignment on June 11.
The New York Times also noted that Cordero, a 20-year NYPD veteran, had previously faced multiple complaints accusing him of abusing his authority and using physical force. Low has also reportedly been the subject of complaints. Beyond the immediate criminal case, the matter has renewed scrutiny over the intersection of crypto wealth, violent coercion, and possible misconduct by law enforcement officers involved in private security activity.