After roughly a year behind bars at Rikers Island, a Manhattan judge has signed off on a reduced bail package that could free William Duplessie, one of the men accused in the high-profile SoHo crypto kidnapping and torture case. Under the court’s conditions he would be subject to electronic monitoring and other restrictions and could be released as soon as Friday, May 28, 2026.
Judge signs off on reduced bond and monitoring
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro approved the change, according to the New York Post, which reports that Duplessie’s bail package is set at $250,000 and that any release will include location monitoring and an ankle bracelet. The Post adds that celebrity bondsman Ira Judelson arranged the package and that Duplessie could be sprung from Rikers within days. Court paperwork also sets a status conference for the two defendants in the coming week, according to the outlet.
Allegations and the victim’s escape
Prosecutors say the case began after the alleged victim, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, arrived in New York on May 6, 2025 and was taken to a Prince Street townhouse where he was held for more than two weeks and subjected to beatings, electric shocks and other abuse as captors sought his crypto password, according to NBC New York. Video and police accounts show the victim breaking free on May 23, 2025 and flagging down a traffic officer while barefoot and injured.
One co-defendant, John Woeltz, was arrested shortly after the escape and later secured a seven-figure bond. Duplessie remained in custody at Rikers as the case moved through pretrial motions. The defendants have pleaded not guilty and their lawyers have repeatedly disputed prosecutors’ version of events, according to reporting and court filings.
Pretrial fights and timeline
Defense teams have pushed to narrow evidence and dismiss counts at various points. In January 2026 a judge rejected a bid to toss the indictments but allowed hearings over how some evidence was obtained, a decision that left Duplessie detained pending further proceedings, Los Angeles Magazine reported. That pretrial litigation shaped the calendar leading up to this week’s bond decision.
What he’s charged with
Duplessie faces state charges including first-degree kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, counts prosecutors say stem from the victim’s escape in May 2025, and those charges carry potentially lengthy prison terms if he is convicted, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and the case remains set for additional pretrial hearings.
Per earlier reporting and the Post’s update, Duplessie’s release will come with strict conditions, including a GPS ankle monitor and limits on travel, and the two men are due back in court for a status conference next week, when judges and lawyers will iron out next steps. The case is expected to remain under close scrutiny as those hearings proceed.
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