Crypto Kidnap Ep5. "The Trap Expands"

Sofia Rossi receives a phone call that changes everything. Alessandro's voice pleads for her to come to New York for an urgent business matter, but every detail feels wrong—shared cryptocurrency wallets that don't exist, spelling errors he would never make, answers that don't match their intimate history. Despite her suspicions, Sofia contacts the FBI and flies to New York, where the massive driver sent to collect her confirms her worst fears.

When she arrives at the SoHo apartment, Sofia finds Alessandro broken and brutalized, bearing electrical burns from days of torture. Marcus Sterling no longer bothers with pretense—Sofia isn't here for business authorization, she's here to be leverage against the man she loves. But as Marcus celebrates doubling his hostages, he fails to realize he's just doubled his problems. Two brilliant engineers working together are exponentially more dangerous than one engineer working alone.

Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is [e-mail]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Previously on crypto kidnap. Alessandro Romano discovered that his captors
had corrupt police protection when Detective Ray Morrison, the same
officer who had unknowingly driven him from the airport, casually
checked in with Marcus Sterling. As the scope of the
criminal network became clear, Alessandro's desperate attempt to buy time

(00:24):
backfired catastrophically, putting his girlfriend Sophia directly in Marcus's crosshairs.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
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 (00:54):
Calaruga Shark Media.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Sophia Rossi hadn't slept properly in six days. She sat
in her Milan apartment at three seventeen am, staring at
her laptop screen and refreshing news websites for any mention
of Alessandro's name. The police had been polite, but ultimately unhelpful.
Missing persons cases involving international travel are complex, they'd explained,

(01:25):
He's an adult. He told you he was going to
New York for business. Perhaps he simply decided to extend
his stay. But Alessandro would never just disappear, not without calling,
not without explaining. They'd been together for two years and
he was the most considerate person she'd ever known. Something

(01:47):
terrible had happened to him. Her phone rang, jolting her
from her desperate web searching unknown number international. She answered
on the first ring, Sophia, Thank god. Alessandro's voice weak, strained,

(02:08):
but unmistakably him. Sophia's heart exploded with relief. Alessandro, where
are you? What happened? I've been calling everyone, the police,
the embassy. I'm okay, he interrupted, though he didn't sound okay.
I'm still in New York. There's been a complication with

(02:32):
the business deal. This is Crypto Kidnap, Episode five. The
trap expands. I need you to come here. Something in

(02:59):
his voice made Sophia pause, a quality she'd never heard before. Fear, maybe,
or exhaustion. Come to New York, Alessandro, what's wrong? You
sound terrible. I can't explain over the phone. It's too complicated,

(03:20):
But Sophia, I need you here. There's a problem with
our shared investments, something that requires both of our authorizations.
Shared investments. We don't have any shared investments. A pause
too long. The cryptocurrency wallets, the ones we set up

(03:41):
for the Milan project. Sophia's blood turned cold. They'd never
set up shared cryptocurrency wallets. Alessandro was meticulous about financial security.
He would never have given her access to his crypto
holdings without extensive discussion and documentation. Alessandro, she said, carefully,

(04:03):
what's my middle name? Another pause, longer this time, I, Sophia,
I don't have time for games. This is urgent. Sophia
closed her eyes. Alessandro knew her middle name was Elena.
He'd helped her celebrate Saint Elena's Day three months ago.

(04:26):
Whatever was happening, whoever was speaking, this wasn't a normal conversation.
Where exactly are you staying, she asked. The details are
in the email. I'm sending you flight information, hotel everything, Sophia, Please,
I need you here by tomorrow night. The line went dead.

(04:48):
Sophia stared at her phone, her mind racing. That had
been Alessandro's voice. She was certain of it, but everything
else about the conversation felt wrong. The shared investments that
didn't exist, the urgent time line, the way he'd avoided
her test question. Her laptop chimed with an incoming email,

(05:11):
subject urgent NYC travel details from al Romano dot developer
at gmail dot com. Sophia, sorry for the rushed call.
Situation here more complex than expected. Forwarding your flight details.
First class ticket attached car will meet you at JFK.

(05:33):
Driver will have your name staying at the Prince Street property,
high security building. Very discreet, don't contact anyone else about
this trip. Business confidentiality critical for deal closure. Love you A.
The email felt wrong in a dozen different ways. Alessandro

(05:53):
never abbreviated his name as a. He always signed emails
with his full name or Alessandro, and discreet was spelled incorrectly.
Alessandro was obsessive about spelling and grammar. But attached to
the email was a legitimate looking first class ticket on
Alitalia departure tomorrow afternoon from Milan Malpensa to JFK, value

(06:21):
eight four hundred euros. Someone had paid serious money to
get her to New York Quickly. Sophia spent the next
hour trying to call Alessandro back. The number went straight
to voicemail, a generic recording, not his personal message. She
tried his regular phone, his backup phone, even his work contacts. Nothing.

(06:47):
She called the hotel listed in the email the Prince
Street address. I'm sorry, the receptionist said, but we don't
have any guest by that name registered. Because it wasn't
a hotel, Sophia realized as she researched the address online.
One hundred twenty seven Prince Street was a luxury residential building,

(07:09):
private apartments, not commercial lodging. Someone was lying to her.
The question was whether it was Alessandro under duress or
someone else entirely using his voice. Either way, Sophia knew
she had to go. If Alessandro was in trouble, kidnapped, threatened, coerced,

(07:32):
he might have no other way to signal for help
except through a phone call that sounded wrong in every detail.
If someone else was impersonating him, then Alessandro might already
be dead and she would be walking into the same trap.
But she couldn't live with herself if she stayed in
Milan while Alessandro needed help in New York. She considered

(07:54):
booking a different flight, changing airlines, taking control of her
travel rings. But if Alessandro really was in trouble and
being monitored. Any deviation from the planned itinerary might put
him in greater danger. She had to assume his captors
were watching every detail. She also did something else, something

(08:17):
that would save both their lives, though she didn't know
it yet. She called the FBI. Twenty four hours later,

(08:40):
Sophia Rossi stood in the arrivals terminal at JFK International Airport,
watching other passengers reunite with loved ones and wondering if
she was about to die. The FBI agent she'd spoken with,
Special Agent Jennifer Walsh, had been professional but cautious. We're
aware of your boyfriend's disappear pearance, Walsh had said, We're

(09:02):
investigating several cryptocurrency related kidnapping cases with similar patterns. Miss Rossi,
if you're planning to travel to New York, please coordinate
with our office. We may be able to provide protection.
But Sophia had boarded her flight before the FBI could
arrange security. She couldn't wait for bureaucratic procedures while Alessandro

(09:24):
might be suffering. Now, standing in JFK with her carry
on bag and a growing sense of dread, she scanned
the crowd for the driver Alessandro's email had mentioned a
man in a dark suit held a sign reading s
Rosi near the ground transportation area. Sophia approached carefully. I'm

(09:47):
Sophia Rossi. The man was enormous, easily six and a
half feet tall, with the build of someone who spent
serious time in the gym. His accent was thick Eastern
European MS Rossi. I am Victor. Mister Romano sent me
to collect you. Victor, not a name Alessandro had ever mentioned.

(10:09):
Sophia smiled politely while her internal alarm system screamed warnings.
How is Alessandro, she asked. As Victor took her back.
He is well eager to see you. The car is
this way. Victor led her toward a black SUV parked
in the passenger pickup zone. As they walked, Sophia noticed

(10:32):
things that made her blood pressure spike. Victor's jacket was
tailored to conceal something bulky under his left arm, likely
a shoulder holster. His movements were too controlled, too professional
for a normal car service driver. But most troubling was
what he didn't do. He didn't make small talk, didn't

(10:53):
ask about her flight, didn't offer any details. About Alessandro's
condition or location. Ffessional drivers usually chatted kidnappers, Sophia imagined,
probably didn't. Actually, Sophia said, stopping near the suv, I
need to use the restroom. First airport coffee, you know.

(11:16):
Victor's expression darkened slightly. Mister Romano was expecting you. We
should not delay. It'll just take a minute, Sophia insisted,
already backing toward the terminal, I'll be right back. Victor
moved to follow her, but Sophia was quicker. She ducked
back into the crowded terminal and immediately pulled out her phone.

(11:39):
Special Agent wallsh answered on the second ring. This is
Sophia Rossi, she whispered, hiding behind a Hudson news KIOSK.
I'm at JFK the driver they sent. Something's wrong. I
think Alessandro is in serious trouble. Missus Rossi, where are you?
Exactly Terminal four, near the baggage claim. The driver is

(12:04):
a man named Victor, six and a half feet tall,
Eastern European accent, driving a black suv. He's armed. Stay
exactly where you are, Walsh said, do not go with
that man. Federal agents are en route to your location.
But when Sophia looked back toward the pickup area, Victor

(12:24):
was gone. The black suv had disappeared. Her phone buzzed
with a text from an unknown number. Change of plans.
Take taxi to one twenty seven Prince Street, Apartment two
A come alone or Alessandro dies. Sophia stared at the message,
her hands shaking. No more pretense, no more fake concern

(12:49):
for her comfort or safety, just a direct threat. She
could wait for the FBI agents, let them handle the
situation professionally, safely by the book. Alessandro might die while
she waited for backup, but at least she would survive
to mourn him. Or she could get in a taxi

(13:10):
and walk into whatever trap was waiting at one twenty
seven Prince Street. Probably die alongside the man she loved,
but at least try to save him first. Sophia had
always been practical, methodical, careful, but Alessandro had taught her
that some risks were worth taking, that innovation required the

(13:31):
courage to venture into unknown territory. She walked outside and
hailed a taxi one twenty seven Prince Street. She told
the driver soho as the taxi pulled away, from JFK.
Sophia sent one final text to Agent Walsh, can't wait
going to one twenty seven Prince Street apartment to a

(13:54):
if you don't hear from me in two hours, Alessandro
Romano is being held there. She turned and off her
phone and settled back in the seat, watching New York
City blur past the windows. In ninety minutes, she would
either be dead or wish she was, but Alessandro was
worth the risk. The brownstone at one twenty seven Prince

(14:30):
Street looked exactly like the kind of place Alessandro would
choose for a business meeting. Elegant, expensive, sophisticated, the kind
of address that suggested serious money and legitimate enterprise. Sophia
paid the taxi driver and stood on the sidewalk for
a moment, studying the building's facade. Third floor windows were

(14:54):
covered with what looked like decorative metalwork but might have
been security bars. No obvious signs of distress or criminal activity.
Maybe she was wrong, Maybe Alessandro really was conducting complex
business negotiations that required her presence. Maybe the stress of
his disappearance had made her paranoid about perfectly innocent circumstances.

(15:19):
She climbed the front steps and found apartment two A
on the building directory. No security cameras visible in the lobby,
no doorman or concierge. She pressed the buzzer Sophia. Alessandro's
voice through the intercom clearer than it had sounded on
the phone. It's me, she said. The door buzzed open,

(15:45):
and Sophia climbed two flights of stairs to apartment two A.
The hallway was expensively decorated, but eerily quiet. No sounds
from other apartments, no evidence of neighbors. The apartment door
opened before she could knock. Alessandro stood in the doorway,

(16:05):
and Sophia's heart broke. He looked like he'd aged ten
years in a week. His face was gaunt, his eyes hollow.
His clothes were wrinkled and stained. Most disturbing were the
small circular marks on his visible skin burns. Sophia realized
electrical burns. Alessandro, she whispered, reaching for him, don't he said, quietly,

(16:34):
just come inside. Slowly. Sophia stepped into the apartment and
immediately understood why Alessandro looked so broken. This wasn't a
business meeting location. It was a crime scene. The luxury
furnishings couldn't disguise the smell of fear and suffering that

(16:56):
permeated the space, broken glass in one corner, stains on
the hardwood floor that looked suspiciously like blood, And in
the center of the main room, a man she didn't recognize,
sitting calmly in an expensive chair. Sophia Rossi, the man said,

(17:17):
standing up with a welcoming smile. I'm Marcus Sterling, Alessandro's
business partner. Thank you so much for coming. Sophia looked
between Marcus and Alessandro, trying to understand the dynamic. Alessandro's
body language screamed terror and submission. Marcus radiated control and satisfaction. Alessandro,

(17:41):
Sophia said, carefully, are you all right? He's fine, Marcus answered,
before Alessandro could speak. Just tired. We've been working around
the clock on some very complex technical problems. I was
asking Alessandro, and I'm telling you that Alessandro is fine,

(18:02):
Marcus replied, his smile never wavering, aren't you brother? Alessandro
nodded mechanically. I'm fine, Sophia, thank you for coming. The
words were right, but everything else was wrong. Alessandro's posture,
his tone, the way he avoided making eye contact. This

(18:25):
was a man who had been broken. What kind of
business meeting requires electrical burns, Sophia asked, pointing to the
circular marks on Alessandro's neck. Marcus's smile faltered for just
a moment. Electrical burns. I'm a nurse, Sophia said, I
know what electrical burns look like. The room fell silent.

(18:50):
Marcus studied Sophia with new interest, like a scientist examining
an unexpected variable in his experiment. Victor Marcus called toward
the back of the apartment, please join us. The enormous
man from the airport appeared, moving with surprising quiet for
his size. He positioned himself between Sophia and the apartment door,

(19:13):
blocking any potential escape route. Sit down, Sophia, Marcus said,
his voice no longer friendly. We need to have a
conversation about cryptocurrency, portfolios and mutual cooperation. Sophia remained, standing,
where's your bathroom? Excuse me, your bathroom. I've been traveling

(19:36):
for twelve hours. Unless you want me to have an
accident on your expensive furniture, I need to use your bathroom.
Marcus studied her for a moment, then nodded to Victor.
Escort miss Rossi to the facilities. Stay with her, stay
with me. Sophia's voice rose, what kind of business meeting?

(19:58):
The kind where everyone fallows instructions carefully, Marcus interrupted, Victor,
will wait outside the door. You have two minutes. Victor
led Sophia down a hallway to a small bathroom. Two minutes,
he repeated in his thick accent, no longer. Sophia closed
the bathroom door and immediately pulled out her phone, still

(20:21):
turned off from the taxi ride, She powered it on
and quickly typed a text to Agent Walsh one two
seven Prince Street, Apartment two A. Alessandro being held at
least two captors armed need immediate help. She sent the
message and turned the phone off again, hiding it in

(20:43):
her jacket pocket. When she opened the bathroom door, Victor
was waiting exactly where she'd left him. Finished, she said.
They returned to the main room, where Marcus had moved
his chair closer to Alessandro. The symbol is A was clear.
Marcus was in control, Alessandro was his possession, and Sophia

(21:06):
was the next item to be acquired now, then, Marcus said,
as Sophia sat down on the couch, let's discuss why
you're really here. Alessandro said, there was a problem with
our shared investments. There is. Marcus agreed. The problem is
that you and Alessandro have been very selfish with money

(21:28):
that doesn't entirely belong to you. Sophia looked at Alessandro,
who was staring at the floor like a beaten dog.
Whatever Marcus had done to him had been thorough and devastating.
I don't understand, Sophia said, of course you don't. Alessandro
hasn't explained the full situation yet. Allow me. Marcus opened

(21:53):
a laptop and angled the screen towards Sophia. Your boyfriend
owes me approximately thirty five million dollars in cryptocurrency. He's
already made partial payments, but were far from finished. The
screen showed what appeared to be Alessandro's cryptocurrency portfolio, though
Sophia couldn't tell if it was real or fabricated, the

(22:15):
numbers were staggering, more money than she'd ever imagined Alessandro possessed.
Alessandro doesn't owe you anything, Sophia said, he does. Marcus replied,
our previous business partnership was terminated unfairly, with Alessandro taking
proprietary technology that I helped develop. I'm simply collecting compensation

(22:39):
by kidnapping and torturing him. Marcus's expression darkened. By providing
incentives for cooperation, Alessandro has been remarkably stubborn about acknowledging
his debts. I'm hoping your presence will help clarify his thinking.
Sophia finally understood she wasn't here to authorize aired investments

(23:01):
or help with business negotiations. She was here to be
leverage a weapon Marcus could use against Alessandro's emotions and
protective instincts. And if we don't cooperate, she asked. Marcus
glanced at Victor, then back at Sophia, then your boyfriend
will watch me hurt you in ways that will haunt

(23:23):
him for the rest of his very short life, assuming
of course, that he survives the experience. Alessandro finally looked
up from the floor Sophia. He said, quietly, I'm sorry,
sorry for what for bringing you into this, for not

(23:43):
being strong enough to protect you. Sophia looked at the
man she loved, brilliant kind broken Alessandro and felt something
shift inside her chest. Not fear, not despair, anger, pure
crystalline age at the people who had done this to him. Alessandro,

(24:04):
she said firmly, you have nothing to apologize for. She
turned to Marcus. But you do, Marcus laughed, I do.
That's interesting. What exactly should I apologize for? For underestimating us,
Sophia said, both of us, And in that moment, Sophia

(24:26):
Rossi made a decision that would change everything. She wasn't
going to be Marcus Sterling's victim. She wasn't going to
be leverage used against the man she loved. She was
going to be the thing Marcus had never planned for,
a second engineer, a second brilliant mind, and someone with

(24:47):
absolutely nothing left to lose. The trap had expanded, but
sometimes Sophia realized traps work both ways.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
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.