Crypto Kidnap Ep3. "The Breaking Point"

The torture begins. Marcus introduces Alessandro to Giuseppe, a previous victim whose broken spirit serves as a terrifying preview of what compliance looks like. As Viktor applies electrical shocks with military precision, Alessandro endures unimaginable physical agony while Marcus orchestrates a masterful psychological assault. Surveillance photos of Sofia reveal that Alessandro's loved ones are being watched, turning his defiance into a threat against everyone he cares about. When the chainsaw emerges and amputation becomes an imminent reality, Alessandro must make an impossible choice. His decision to surrender one cryptocurrency wallet—worth 2.3 million dollars—buys him time but establishes a horrifying precedent. In this game of digital ransom, every victory for his captors makes the next demand inevitable, and Alessandro begins to understand that survival may require sacrificing everything he's worked for.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Previously on Crypto Kidnap. Alessandro Romano discovered that his former partner,
Marcus Stirling, had stolen his code and lured him to
New York under false pretenses. What began as a business
meeting became a nightmare, as Alessandro found himself imprisoned in
a reinforced room, facing demands for his cryptocurrency passwords worth

(00:23):
thirty seven million dollars.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Content warning, This series contains descriptions of violence and psychological torture.
If you need support, please contact local authorities or crisis helplines.
Remember if something feels wrong, trust your instincts and seek
help immediately.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Calaruga Shark Media.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Alessandro Romano had been awake for three hours, and the
locks began to disengage. He'd counted each click, each mechanical
sound that separated him from the world beyond that door.
Seven locks total, industrial dead bolts that spoke of planning, preparation,

(01:16):
and the kind of forethought that turned his stomach. This
wasn't a crime of passion. This was methodical. The room
had no clock, no windows to track the sun's movement,
but his body told him it was early morning. His
bladder was full, his mouth tasted like copper and fear,

(01:38):
and every muscle ached from sleeping on a mattress that
felt like it was stuffed with concrete. The bucket in
the corner had become a humiliating necessity in the pre
dawn darkness. But worse than the physical discomfort was the waiting,
the not knowing. In his engineering mind, Alessandro had spent

(02:00):
the sleepless hours calculating probabilities, running through scenarios, trying to
game out how this could end. Every outcome felt like
a dead end. This is Crypto Kidnap Episode three. The
breaking point, The door swung open and Marcus Sterling entered,

(02:27):
carrying a laptop and a cheerful smile that made Alessandro's
skin crawl. Good morning, brother, Marcus said, as if they
were meeting for coffee instead of ransom negotiations. Sleep well,
Alessandro didn't answer. He decided during the long night that
silence was his only weapon. Now every word he spoke

(02:50):
gave Marcus something to work with, some angle to exploit.
Strong silent type. Today I see. Marcus pulled the room's
single chair closer to the bed and sat down, crossing
his legs casually that's fine, I'll do the talking. Marcus
opened the laptop and angled the screen toward Alessandro. It

(03:13):
displayed a cryptocurrency portfolio management interface that Alessandro recognized immediately,
his own private wallet dashboard, complete with current balances and
transaction histories. Alessandro's heart lurched. Seeing his financial life laid
bare on Marcus's laptop was like being stripped naked in public.

(03:36):
Every investment, every trade, every carefully calculated risk, all of
it exposed. Impressive portfolio, Marcus said, scrolling through the data
Bitcoin ethereum some interesting alt coin positions. You've got good
instincts for someone who claims to care more about technology

(03:56):
than profit. The balance totals glowed on the score thirty
seven million, two hundred forty seven thousand, eight hundred thirty
two dollars and nineteen cents across fourteen different wallets. Alessandro's
life's work in digital form. Here's how this is going
to work. Marcus continued, his voice, taking on the tone

(04:19):
of a patient teacher. You're going to give me the
private keys to three of these wallets, just three, Alessandro.
I'm not being greedy. That's about twelve million dollars. Call
it compensation for the partnership you walked away from plus interest.
Alessandro stared at the screen, his mind racing twelve million

(04:41):
dollars a year ago that would have been his entire
net worth. Now it was a third of his holdings,
but still more money than most people would see in
a lifetime. Still playing mute, Marcus asked, that's fine, Let
me show you what happens when people don't go off operate.
Marcus stood and walked to the door. Victor, he called,

(05:06):
bring our friend. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed in
the hallway, followed by what sounded like someone being dragged.
Alessandro's blood turned cold as Victor appeared in the doorway
hauling a man Alessandro had never seen before. The stranger
was roughly Alessandro's age, maybe younger, with dark hair and

(05:27):
olive skin that suggested Mediterranean heritage. His face was swollen
and bruised, one eye completely closed, zip ties bound his
wrists behind his back, and dried blood crusted around his
nose and mouth. But it was his eyes that haunted Alessandro.
The flat, defeated stare of someone who had been broken

(05:50):
completely meet Giuseppe, Marcus said casually. He's from Naples. Crypto
trader made the mistake of getting into a business dispute
with some associates of mine about six months ago. Victor
forced Giuseppe to his knees in front of Alessandro's bed.
The man swayed slightly, barely conscious. Giuseppe here thought he

(06:15):
could play hardball with me, Marcus continued, thought he could
hide his cryptocurrency behind lawyers and offshore accounts. He was wrong.
Marcus crouched down next to Giuseppe and gently lifted the
man's chin, forcing him to look at Alessandro. Tell our
new friend, what happened when you tried to be difficult?

(06:37):
Giuseppe's voice was barely a whisper, thick with exhaustion and
broken teeth. I gave him everything, every wallet, every private key, everything.
And how long did that take? Marcus prompted? Three weeks?
Three weeks, Marcus repeated, standing up. Twenty one days of

(07:00):
escalating persuasion, Giuseppe learned that stubbornness is expensive in ways
that go far beyond money. Alessandro's mouth had gone completely dry.
This wasn't the first time Marcus had done this. Giuseppe
wasn't a business associate or a rival trader. He was
a previous victim, a proof of concept, a living advertisement

(07:23):
for compliance. Giuseppe is going to stay with us for
a while longer, Marcus said. He's been very helpful with
some ongoing projects, haven't you. Giuseppe? The broken man nodded mechanically,
his dead eyes never leaving the floor. Now, then, Marcus said,
turning back to Alessandro with renewed enthusiasm, Shall we try

(07:47):
this again? Three wallets, twelve million dollars? Or do we
start your education the hard way? Alessandro found his voice,
though it came out as a croak. You're insane, I'm practical,
Marcus corrected. Insanity would be letting you leave here with
information that could destroy everything I've built. Practicality is finding

(08:12):
a solution that benefits us, both benefits us both. Alessandro's
voice was getting stronger, fueled by a rising tide of rage.
You kidnapped me, Marcus. You're threatening to torture me. How
exactly does that benefit me? Marcus's smile never wavered. Simple,

(08:35):
You give me what I want and you get to
walk away with twenty five million dollars still in your pocket.
That's more money than most people see in ten lifetimes.
You get to go home to your girlfriend, continue your
little projects, live happily. Ever, after all, for the low
price of acknowledging that I deserve compensation for my contributions

(08:57):
to your success was insane, but Marcus delivered it with
the conviction of someone who genuinely believed his own justification.
In his mind, he wasn't stealing, he was collecting a debt.
And if I refuse, Alessandro asked. Marcus glanced at Giuseppe,

(09:19):
then back at Alessandro, then your education begins. And trust me, brother,
I'm a very thorough teacher. Alessandro's refusal came without hesitation.
Go to hell. The words hung in the air for
a moment, and Alessandro saw something flicker across Marcus's face,

(09:41):
not anger exactly, disappointment, maybe like a parent whose child
had chosen the wrong answer on a test. Victor, Marcus
said quietly the demonstration. Please. What happened next would replay
in Alessandro's nightmares for years to come. Victor moved with

(10:01):
practiced efficiency, pulling items from a black Duffel bag. Alessandro
hadn't noticed him carrying electrical cables, a car battery, alligator clips,
a taser that looked military grade. Alessandro's body went into
full fight or flight mode. His heart hammered against his

(10:21):
ribs so hard he could hear it. Adrenaline flooded his system,
making his hands shake and his vision tunnel. Every primitive
instinct screamed at him to run, but there was nowhere
to go. This is a portable electrical stimulation device, Marcus explained,
his voice, taking on the tone of a lecturer. Military

(10:43):
surplus designed for interrogation purposes. Very effective, very precise. Victor
here learned to use it during his service with Russian
special forces. Victor attached the cables to the battery with
calm professionalism, testing the connections. A small led light blinked green,

(11:04):
indicating the device was ready. The beauty of electrical persuasion,
Marcus continued, is that it causes maximum pain while leaving
minimal lasting damage. Very sustainable for extended conversations. Alessandro tried
to scoot backward on the bed, pressing himself against the wall.

(11:24):
His mouth tasted like metal, and his vision was starting
to gray around the edges. This couldn't be happening. This
was the stuff of movies and nightmares, not real life. Giuseppe,
Marcus said, gently, show our friend what happens when people
choose the difficult path. Giuseppe, still kneeling on the floor,

(11:49):
slowly pulled up his shirt. Alessandro's stomach lurched. The man's
torso was covered in small, circular burn marks, dozens of
them scattered across his chest an abdomen, like a constellation
of pain. Each mark represents a lesson. Marcus explained. Giuseppe

(12:10):
was a very slow learner, but everyone learns eventually, Alessandro,
everyone has a breaking point. Victor approached the bed with
the taser in one hand and the battery pack in
the other. Alessandro could smell ozone in the air, that
sharp scent that comes before lightning strikes. Last chance, Marcus said,

(12:33):
three wallets, twelve million dollars, or we begin your education.
Alessandro's mind raced through calculations. If he gave them something, anything,
maybe he could buy time, maybe he could find a
way to escape or signal for help. But every fiber

(12:54):
of his being rebelled against the idea of rewarding their violence.
No he whispered. Marcus sighed, Victor. The first shock hit
Alessandro's shoulder, like being struck by lightning. Every muscle in
his body contracted simultaneously, sending him into spasms that felt

(13:16):
like his bones were trying to escape through his skin.
The pain was indescribable, not just physical agony, but something
that seemed to attack his nervous system at a fundamental level.
He bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood, but
somehow managed not to scream. The shock lasted three seconds.

(13:37):
When it ended, Alessandro collapsed back onto the bed, his
body twitching with residual electricity. Tears streamed down his face,
though he didn't remember starting to cry. That was setting
number two, Marcus said, calmly. Out of ten, Giuseppe made

(13:58):
it to setting seven before he started cohi operating. How
high do you think you'll go? Alessandro tried to speak,
but could only manage a gasping wheeze. His shoulder felt
like it was on fire, and his heart was beating
so fast he wondered if he was having a cardiac episode.
Nothing to say, Marcus asked, that's all right, this is

(14:22):
just the introduction. We have all day, Alessandro, all week
if necessary. Giuseppe here can tell you that my patience
is virtually unlimited when it comes to getting what I want.
The second shock hit his thigh. This time, Alessandro did scream.
The sound that came out of him was barely human,

(14:43):
a raw, animalistic howl that seemed to come from somewhere
deeper than his throat. The pain was worse than the
first shock, or maybe he was just more aware of
it now. Every nerve ending felt like it was being
attacked with hot needles. When it ended, he was sobbing openly,
not just from the pain, but from the helplessness of it,

(15:07):
the complete loss of control over his own body, his
own fate. I know what the worst part is, Marcus asked,
his voice still conversational. This is nothing compared to what's coming.
Victor has a dozen different tools, each one more persuasive
than the last. We've got drugs that will make you

(15:30):
more sensitive to pain, Techniques that will keep you conscious
and aware through procedures that would normally cause you to
pass out. In time, Alessandro, so much time. Alessandro forced
himself to look at Marcus through his tears. You were
my friend, I was your business partner, Marcus corrected, Friendship

(15:55):
is a luxury I can't afford any more. This is
just business, Alessandro, very expensive business. The third shock hit
his chest, directly over his heart. The world exploded into
white hot agony, and for a moment Alessandro was certain
he was dying. His heart stopped, skipped, then resumed beating

(16:19):
in an irregular rhythm that made him dizzy. This time,
he couldn't stop himself from screaming Marcus's name, pleading with
him to stop getting warmer. Marcus said, but I need
more than my name, brother, I need twelve digits, sixty characters,

(16:39):
the private keys to three wallets. Alessandro's vision was blurring,
his nervous system overloaded from the electrical assault, but through
the haze of pain and terror, one thought remained crystal clear.
If he gave Marcus what he wanted now, it wouldn't
end here. It would only prove that torture worked. Marcus

(17:01):
would escalate, demand more, push for additional wallets until Alessandro
had nothing left, and then Marcus would kill him anyway.
Men like Giuseppe, broken and compliant, didn't get to go home.
They became tools. Weapons to be used against the next victim. No,

(17:23):
Alessandro gasped, I won't give you anything. Marcus's face darkened
for the first time. Then we moved to setting four.

(17:44):
Time became meaningless in that room. Alessandro lost count of
the shocks after the seventh one. His body was a
roadmap of burn marks and bruises, his nervous system so
overloaded that even the spaces between torture sessions felt like
extensions of the pain. Victor worked with methodical precision, varying

(18:05):
the location and intensity of each shock to prevent Alessandro
from building any kind of tolerance. But worse than the
physical agony was the psychological assault that Marcus orchestrated between sessions.
Your girlfriend, Sophia is beautiful, Marcus said during one of
the breaks, scrolling through what appeared to be surveillance photos

(18:26):
on his laptop. That little cafe she likes on via Brera.
We've been watching her for months. Alessandro's blood turned twice.
Leave her alone. Oh, we're not going to hurt her,
Marcus said, casually, not unless you make us. But Alessandro,

(18:46):
she has no idea where you are. By now, She's
probably filed a missing person's report. She's worried, sick, calling
your phone over and over, wondering if you're dead in
a ditch somewhere. The images on the screen showed Sophia
going about her daily life, completely unaware she was being watched,

(19:07):
getting coffee, walking to work, meeting friends for dinner. The
invasion of her privacy felt almost worse than the physical torture.
Every day you hold out, Marcus continued, is another day
she suffers, Another day she wonders if she'll ever see
you again. Is your stubbornness worth her pain? It was

(19:29):
a masterclass in psychological manipulation. Marcus understood that Alessandro could
endure physical torture for his principles, but watching his loved
ones suffer was a different kind of breaking point entirely.
Giuseppe had a sister, Marcus mentioned, casually, sweet girl, medical
student in Rome. He held out for two weeks until

(19:52):
we showed him some photos of her daily routine. Amazing
how quickly his priority shifted. Andro forced himself to look
at Giuseppe, still kneeling in the corner like a broken statue.
How much of the man's compliance came from his own pain,
and how much from threats against people he loved. The

(20:14):
beauty of the modern world, Marcus said, is how connected
everything is. Your digital footprint Alessandro is extensive bank records,
travel history, social media connections. Sophia's entire life is mapped
out in databases across the internet. Finding her, following her

(20:35):
would be trivially easy. The threat was subtle but unmistakable.
Marcus wasn't just holding Alessandro's body hostage. He was holding
his entire world. But it doesn't have to come to that,
Marcus continued, Give me what I want and this ends.
Sophia never knows you are in danger. You tell her

(20:58):
the business meeting went longer than expect Maybe that you
took some time to think about your relationship. She doesn't
have to carry the trauma of knowing what happened here.
The offer was seductive in its simplicity, a clean exit
that protected everyone Alessandro cared about. All it would cost
was twelve million dollars, money that, in the grand scheme

(21:21):
of things, was just numbers on a screen. But Alessandro's
engineering mind kept running the calculations, and every scenario ended
the same way. Marcus wasn't going to let him leave alive,
not with the knowledge of Giuseppe of this operation, of
how deep Marcus's criminal enterprise ran. This was a death

(21:43):
sentence with installment payments, Victor Marcus said, when Alessandro remained silent,
show him the chainsaw. The sound that came from the
Duffel bag was unmistakable, the metallic rattle of a chain
being pulled through metal guides, followed by the pop and
hiss of a two stroke engine starting up. Alessandro had

(22:06):
used chainsaws before, during summer's working construction to pay for university.
He knew that sound intimately the aggressive growl of a
machine designed to cut through solid wood and seconds. But
in this room, surrounded by the smell of electrical burns
and human fear, that familiar sound became something monstrous. Victor

(22:31):
held the chainsaw at idle, the chain spinning lazily around
the guidebar. The tool looked enormous in the confined space,
its orange and black body gleaming under the room's harsh
fluorescent lights. This is for the truly stubborn cases, Marcus explained,
his voice barely audible over the engine noise. Giuseppe never

(22:53):
required this level of persuasion, but some people need more
dramatic motivation. Alessandro's bladder released involuntarily. The warm wetness spreading
across his genes was just another humiliation on top of
everything else, but his body had moved past shame into
pure survival mode. The procedure is quite simple, Marcus continued.

(23:18):
We start with fingers. Individual digits removed cleanly at the joints.
Very effective for demonstrating seriousness without causing immediately life threatening injuries.
Victor revved the engine once, the sound echoing off the
walls like a mechanical scream. Alessandro pressed himself back against
the wall so hard he thought he might push through

(23:40):
the plaster. After fingers, we moved to toes, then hands.
The beauty of this approach is that each amputation increases
the subject's helplessness while maintaining their ability to communicate cryptocurrency passwords.
Alessandro's mind fragmented. Part of it was calculating the odds

(24:01):
of survival with various injuries. Part of him was thinking
about Sophia, wondering if she would ever know what happened
to him. Part of him was just screaming wordlessly into
the void. But the largest part of his consciousness was
focused on a single, crystal clear realization. He was going

(24:21):
to die in this room. Marcus had spent too much
time explaining his methods, revealing too much of his operation.
This wasn't a kidnapping that ended with ransom payment and release.
This was a prolonged execution with cryptocurrency passwords as the
price of a quick death versus a slow one. Last chance,

(24:43):
Marcus said, having to shout over the chainsaw's noise, three
wallets or we begin removing pieces. Alessandro looked at Giuseppe,
still kneeling in the corner, and saw his own future
reflected in the man's dead eyes. Broken, compliant, and ultimately disposable.

(25:04):
The chainsaw's engine note changed as Victor prepared to engage
the throttle. Wait, Alessandro said. The chainsaw's engine dropped to idle,
and the room fell into relative quiet. Marcus leaned forward,

(25:26):
his eyes bright with anticipation. I'm listening, he said. Alessandro's
mind raced through possibilities. He needed to buy time, needed
to give Marcus something that felt like progress without actually
surrendering his financial security. More importantly, he needed to plant

(25:47):
seeds of doubt about Marcus's plan one wallet, Alessandro said, slowly,
two point three million dollars. That's all you get today.
Marcus's expression darkened. We agreed on three wallets, twelve million dollars.
We didn't agree on anything, Alessandro replied, finding strength and negotiation,

(26:11):
even while tied to a bed in his own urine.
I'm making you an offer. Take it, or keep torturing
me until I die without giving you anything. It was
a calculated risk. Alessandro was betting that Marcus's greed would
override his desire for total control, at least temporarily. Two

(26:32):
point three million dollars was still more money than most
people would see in a lifetime. Victor, Marcus said, start
the chainsaw. Wait, Alessandro said, quickly, think about this, Marcus,
you torture me to death today, you get nothing. You
take my offer, you get two point three million dollars

(26:53):
and a chance to convince me to give you more later.
Marcus held up a hand, stopping Victor from restarting the
end more later. I'm not stupid, Alessandro said, I know
you're not planning to let me go after this, so
let's stop pretending this is a simple ransom exchange. You
want my entire portfolio, and you're willing to take it

(27:16):
over time rather than risk getting nothing. The honesty of
it seemed to surprise Marcus. For a moment, his carefully
constructed facade of reasonable businessman slipped, revealing the predator underneath.
Go on, he said, one wallet today, proof of concept,

(27:36):
proof that your methods work. Then we negotiate the timeline
for the rest. Alessandro was walking a tightrope between compliance
and resistance. Give Marcus too little and the torture would
resume immediately. Give him too much, and there would be
no reason to keep Alessandro alive for further negotiations. Which

(27:58):
wallet Marcus asked? Alessandro closed his eyes, running through his
mental inventory of cryptocurrency holdings. He needed to choose something
substantial enough to satisfy Marcus's immediate greed, but not so
valuable that it would eliminate his leverage for future negotiations.
The Ethereum wallet, he said, finally, address, starts with zero

(28:22):
x seven f four a two point three million dollars
current market value. Marcus pulled up the portfolio display and
scrolled through the wallet addresses until he found the matching entry.
His eyes lit up as he confirmed the balance. Private key,
he demanded. Alessandro took a deep breath. Once he gave

(28:45):
Marcus access to this wallet. There would be no taking
it back, but he needed to buy time, needed to
keep himself alive long enough to find some way out
of this nightmare. Get me a laptop, he said, I
need to access my secure storage to retrieve the key.
Marcus studied him carefully. You're not planning anything clever, are you, Alessandro,

(29:10):
Because if you try to send any kind of signal,
if you attempt to contact anyone, Victor will remove your
fingers one at a time before you can finish typing.
I understand, Alessandro said. Marcus nodded to Victor, who left
the room and returned a few minutes later with a laptop.
He set it up on the small table and angled

(29:32):
the screen so both he and Marcus could monitor Alessandro's
every keystroke. Alessandro's hands shook as he typed, partly from
the residual effects of electrical shock and partly from the
knowledge that he was about to voluntarily give away more
money than most people earned in a lifetime. The private
key retrieval process was complex, requiring multiple authentication steps and

(29:57):
cryptographic verifications. Alessandro deliberately worked slowly, partly to buy time
and partly because his nervous system was still recovering from
the torture. Hurry up, Marcus said, impatiently. Cryptographic security takes time.
Alessandro replied, unless you want me to make a mistake

(30:18):
that locks us out of the wallet permanently. The threat
of losing access to the money due to technical errors
was enough to make Marcus back off. He watched anxiously
as Alessandro navigated through security protocols and verification steps. Finally,
the private key appeared on screen, a string of sixty

(30:39):
four hexadecimal characters that represented complete control over two point
three million dollars worth of ethereum. There Alessandro said, transfer
it to whatever address you want. Marcus copied the private
key and immediately began the process of moving the cryptocurrency
to his own wallet. The blockchain transaction would take several

(31:02):
minutes to confirm, but once it was complete, the money
would be irreversibly his excellent, Marcus said, watching the transaction
propagate across the network. See how easy that was. No
permanent damage, no unnecessary suffering, just a simple business transaction.

(31:24):
Alessandro said nothing. He was already calculating his next move,
already thinking about how to leverage this temporary compliance into
something approaching survival. But as he watched two point three
million dollars disappear from his portfolio, one thought dominated his mind.
Sophia was right. He should have trusted his instincts, should

(31:48):
have hung up when Marcus called. Now he was trapped
in a room with a chainsaw wielding psychopath, slowly being
bled of his life's work, one cryptocurrency transaction at a time.
The only question was whether he could stay alive long
enough to find a way out.

Speaker 1 (32:16):
Crypto Kidnap is a production of Calaoga Shark Media executive
producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. Crypto Kidnap is a
work of fiction based on real world events. A I
may have been used in the production of this episode.