The 28-year-old was brought to the Nolita home, where he was held and tortured for several weeks, according to sources.

A man known as the "crypto king of Kentucky" is being charged with the kidnapping and torture of a business partner in New York City.

The Kentucky-based cryptocurrency investor accused of kidnapping and torturing an Italian businessman in a sadistic attempt to extort his Bitcoin password was ordered held without bail Saturday by a Manhattan judge.

Many remember May 22, 2010 as Bitcoin Pizza Day, but Laszlo Hanyecz actually spent nearly 80,000 bitcoin that year — a sum worth over $8.7 billion today.

It’s not an official holiday – yet – but for many cryptocurrency enthusiasts “Bitcoin Pizza Day” is still special. Thursday marks the 15th anniversary of the first known use of cryptocurrency to buy real-world goods.