OVERVIEW

Man Holds Bag Long Enough That It Now Qualifies As An Heirloom 👴

Here’s What’s Happening 👇️

Today’s top trending tickers: $TAO ( ▼ 1.73% ) , $HYPE ( ▼ 0.76% ) , $ROAM ( ▲ 11.62% ) , $AERO ( ▼ 3.31% ) , and $BONK ( ▲ 0.74% )  

NEWS
BTC Dominance Rejected Higher? 🤔

This is a short update to the BTC Dominance chart we look at in last Friday’s (July 17) newsletter. In a nutshell, this is what I wrote ✒️:

Which brings me to some Gann theory :From the confirmation lower high on the daily chart (not shown) of August 2, 2025, Gann’s Cycle of the Inner Year ends with the 360-day cycle. That happens on July 29, 2026 and it is a little over a week before one of his specific Gann calendar dates: August 8. Gann highlighted August 8 specifically as very important for a change in trend and watch for tops or bottoms.

While it could move higher, there’s a boat load of resistance in the form of the weekly Tenkan-Sen, Kijun-Sen, and the bottom of the Cloud (Senkou Span A) that might keep it parked near the bottom of the channel a little longer.

Fast forward to today, and here’s what we’re looking at:

You can see the weekly high hit and then was rejected against the weekly Kijun-Sen and then dropped below the Tenkan-Sen, too. It’s now stuck in between those two levels above it and the bottom of the bear flag.

Additionally, we’re coming up on the 1-year anniversary of the confirmation lower high, so don’t be surprised to see some shenanigans in the next 10 to 14 days. 🧠

STOCKTWITS
Stuff Stocktwits People Said 👇️

NEWS
One Year Ago, One Of The Craziest Crypto Crimes Occured. I Mean, It’s Really, Really Crazy 🤯

This is, verbatim, what I wrote back on July 24, 2025:

I’ve been involved in crypto since 2015-ish and I’ve been at writing The Litepaper here at Stocktwits for three years. I’ve seen, read, experienced, and written about some crazy stuff. 😐️

But this story, dear readers, has to be the stupidest, craziest and most par-for-the-course story in a long while. And it’s a story we last looked at back in the May 27 Litepaper.

What Happened 🤔

Italian trader Michael Carturan, a 28‑year‑old Italian trader chasing crypto deals, landed in Manhattan on May 6 and got the “welcome to America” nightmare package. 😨

Prosecutors say John Woeltz (self‑anointed Kentucky’s crypto king) and William Duplessie (Miami’s favorite trust‑fund party boy) spent 17 days turning a $24M SoHo townhouse into their private horror show.

Highlights: waterboarding in the marble bathroom, pistol‑whipping on Persian rugs, tequila‑and‑firelight foreplay, chainsaw intimidation, and a cattle prod cameo. When flames flickered, the duo allegedly played fire brigade by urinating on their victim.

All in pursuit of one juicy Bitcoin password.

Defense: Bro, It Was Just Hazing Bro 🙄

Defense lawyers swear the whole thing was “frat‑house hazing.” They rolled courtroom footage of the victim smoking crack, joining an orgy, and crawling in a BDSM collar.

That wasn’t torture, it was just, according to the defense, “17 days of shenanigans.” 👨‍🎓 

Prosecution: Um. No. 😶

Prosecutors fired back: victims don’t always scream on cue, especially with a gun to their head and threats to butcher their family. Prosecutor Sarah Khan wanted the pair caged until trial.

She laid out grim evidence:

• Pics: Photos of a gun jammed against Carturan’s head (they even made T-shirts!)

• Texts: Texts promising to kill his parents.

• Medical Reports: Burns, bruises, and ligature marks.

• She also dropped the tequila + fire + urine combo on the record, for anyone who still thought “hazing” covered it.

• Assistant Cam: Texts show John Woeltz ordering one flunky to “watch the guy” every time the captive touched a phone. Second flunky replies, “Don’t worry I’m watching him,” like this is DoorDash, not felony kidnapping.

• Drug Logic: William Duplessie said he and Woeltz had to keep doing drugs because they’d forced the victim to stay high - so solidarity, right?

• Broken Toy Brag: Messages boast the Italian trader looked “broken… no more life in his eyes.” That’s the vibe the defense insists was consensual hazing.

What cops hauled out of SoHo Hell: a loaded Glock, hacksaws, drugs, more drugs, more drugs and pills and drugs, zip ties, a chainsaw, body armor, 30 phones, 30 crypto hardware wallets. Oh , and a handwritten “purge foreigners” manifesto detailing how to gain a target’s trust, then “extract” their crypto.

Not Their First Rodeo 🎠 

Woeltz and Duplessie have apparently been at these kind of shenanigans before.

• Woeltz once held someone hostage in Kentucky for crypto ransom.

• Duplessie was probed in Switzerland for domestic violence.

• Feds think two more victims exist.

What Did The Judge Do? 😰

Over the DA’s protests, Judge Gregory Carro slapped each man with $1M bail, banned crypto as payment (which they converted into Benjamins and made bail), and handed out ankle monitors.

Duplessie gets beachside confinement in Miami. Woeltz just needs a “court‑approved” couch in New York.

Oh, and because the judge probably confused court mandated sobriety check-ins with felony kidnapping and torture, Woeltz and Duplessie have to phone check in every 72 hours. 📞 

Someone call Kalshi and Polymarket because my money is on a Netflix special in a couple years and a Yelp badge for “Best Defense Team in History.”

And if someone wants to talk to you in Soho about crypto, be like Nancy Reagan and Just Say No to SoHo. 🙅 

NEWS
SoHo So Bad: Where Are They Now? 🤔

Both men received $1M bail packages in late July 2025. Only Woeltz actually posted his. 🤔

His parents helped secure the bond with cash and property, springing him from Rikers on July 31. He has spent the time since under electronic monitoring and home confinement.

Duplessie could not assemble the original $1M package. The alleged multimillionaire spent nearly a full year at Rikers learning that illiquid wealth remains undefeated.

On May 28, 2026, a judge cut his bail to $250,000. Duplessie was released to GPS-monitored house arrest at his father’s Miami home.

Trust-fund party boy to trust-fund indoor cat.

Did The Case Collapse? Nope.

The defense tried getting the indictment dismissed in January. Judge Gregory Carro declined.

The 12-count indictment remains intact, including kidnapping, assault, coercion, attempted grand larceny and weapons charges. Both men still plead not guilty. A conviction on the top counts could bring life in prison.

They did score a procedural win in February when an appeals court tossed a prosecution protective order and demanded a proper discovery hearing.

So What Now?

Prosecutors still have the alleged nightmare pile: blood evidence, injuries, Polaroids, surveillance texts, a loaded gun, chainsaw and cattle prod.

The defense still has footage showing Carturan shopping, smoking, partying and moving around Manhattan.

As of July 24, 2026, both defendants are home. No public trial date. No verdict. No plea deal. The only thing serving a sentence so far is the calendar. 📅

STOCKTWITS
Let’s Talk Futures 👇️

New futures show, hosted by yours truly.

NEWS
Justin Sun’s HTX Sanctioned For Helping Russia, No One Surprised 🤷

The EU added HTX to its latest Russia sanctions list, saying the crypto exchange helped Russians evade restrictions on the country’s financial system. HTX joined 17 other crypto-service companies named in the package. 🎁

For those who forgot or don’t know, HTX is controlled by Justin Sun, who bought its controlling stake in 2022. HTX still calls him an advisor which is a charming title for the guy who owns the controlling stake.

The EU action does not include an asset freeze or full designation. It follows UK sanctions against HTX in May over what London called “shadow financial systems” supporting Russia’s war economy.

HTX previously said regulatory compliance remained its “absolute top priority.” European regulators have now responded with the bureaucratic equivalent of “sure, champ.” I mean, pretty much anything attached to Sun has a version of it saying ‘we take compliance seriously’, but apparently not literally.

Also, HTX’s official X posted this at 0900 EST:

That looks a lot like the EU flag…

Hidden meaning for good-night (‘gn’)?

So, no shutdown. No frozen assets. Just another major jurisdiction putting HTX on the naughty list while everyone performs a reenactment of shocked Pikachu. 😱 

NEWS
Bitcoin Miner Successfully Mines Extremely Rare Chapter 11 Block 🤣

Poolin Technology and two affiliates filed for Chapter 11 in New Jersey on July 22, reporting just $1 million to $10 million in assets against $100 million to $500 million in liabilities. 💵

Mining operations are finished. The remaining crew is guarding equipment and preparing the garage sale.

The collapse, Poolin says, had several reasons. China banned Bitcoin mining in 2021. Bitcoin then fell below $20,000 in June 2022, margin calls arrived, and Poolin Wallet borrowed roughly $213 million against $355.8 million in collateral. Withdrawals were suspended that September. Customers received $163.7 million in IOUs. A second Bitcoin drop below $16,800 helped send the collateral into liquidation.

Texas supplied the sequel. Poolin planned around 600 MW of power, received 100 MW, and wound up with too much equipment and not enough working capital. Its U.S. units accumulated $45.9 million in losses.

Poolin is now pursuing a liquidation, with stalking-horse bids totaling $52 million for two Texas sites. Creditors may recover something.

Proof-of-leverage remains undefeated. 👍️

STOCKTWITS
Stuff Stocktwits People Said 👇️

OLD NEWS
Crypto Stuff That Happened Today, But A Long Time Ago 📜

Here’s what was happening in the newsletter two years ago today:

• ETH ETFs were bleeding already - day two volume topped $1B, but net flows were red, led by Grayscale’s brutal outflows.

• Solana ETF hopes were heating up - CBOE had filed 19b-4s for Solana ETFs, and two whales staked 238,893 SOL, worth about $41.4M

• Mt. Gox payouts finally moved - Bitstamp was set to distribute BTC, ETH, and BCH, while some creditors were already reporting Kraken deposits.

OLD NEWS
Other Stuff That Happened Today, But A Long Ass Time Ago ⌛️

July 24

• 1148 - Second Crusade armies began their disastrous siege of Damascus. They quit 4 days later.

• 1304 - Edward I captured Stirling Castle using Warwolf, possibly the largest trebuchet ever built.

• 1411 - The Battle of Harlaw became one of Scotland’s bloodiest medieval fights.

• 1701 - Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded the settlement that became Detroit.

• 1779 - America launched the Penobscot Expedition, which became its worst naval defeat before Pearl Harbor.

• 1929 - The Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war took effect. War declined to participate.

• 1935 - Chicago hit 109°F as the Dust Bowl heat wave reached its peak.

• 1950 - Cape Canaveral launched its first rocket, beginning its career as America’s space parking lot.

• 1966 - The first BASE jump from El Capitan ended with both jumpers suffering broken bones.

• 1967 - Charles de Gaulle shouted “Long live free Quebec!” in Montreal and detonated a diplomatic tantrum.

• 1969 - Apollo 11 returned safely from humanity’s first Moon landing.

• 1983 - George Brett’s furious charge from the dugout gave baseball the immortal Pine Tar Incident.

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