1. Ontario cryptocurrency fraud charges
2. Crypto King Ontario arrested fraud.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed Ontario Crypto King who faced financial ruin and was reportedly abducted, has been apprehended and charged following a comprehensive 16-month investigation.
Pleterski’s arrest was confirmed prior to a press conference named Project Swan. Additionally, Colin Murphy, a 27-year-old individual from Oshawa and an alleged associate of Pleterski, has also been charged with fraud and was subsequently released on an undertaking.
The investigation into Pleterski commenced in July 2022 when the Durham Regional Police began receiving reports of investment fraud involving a resident of Whitby, later identified as Pleterski. Over the course of 16 months, the Financial Crimes Unit conducted an extensive inquiry, obtaining over 40 court orders and compiling substantial evidence.
According to a spokesperson from the Durham Regional Police, it is estimated that the Crypto King illicitly acquired around £30 million from over 300 victims across Ontario. Court documents obtained by CityNews revealed that Pleterski raised approximately £31.5 million from investors but only invested a mere 1.6 per cent of the funds.
Rather than using the funds for their intended investment purposes, it is believed that the Crypto King diverted the money from investors to purchase luxury vehicles, including McLarens, Lamborghinis, Audis, and BMWs.
Pleterski has been charged with fraud exceeding £3,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime. He made a court appearance on Tuesday and was subsequently granted bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for June.
Details surrounding the downfall of the ‘Crypto King’ indicate that victims entrusted money to Murphy under similar circumstances, with the expectation of substantial returns on their investments. In January 2023, an Ontario Superior Court judge found Murphy in contempt of court for his refusal to surrender his iPhone and for deleting crucial data.
Investigations have revealed that Pleterski may have been actively seeking new investors as recently as February 2024.
Pleterski was declared bankrupt by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in August 2022. Court records indicate that only £1.2 million, along with several high-end vehicles registered in his name, were seized, despite the fact that the Crypto King owed millions to over 100 investors.
In October 2022, Murphy began running his own investment scheme with the assistance of Pleterski.
On December 5, 2022, Pleterski was reportedly abducted in downtown Toronto, resulting in a missing persons report. He was allegedly coerced into a vehicle by a group of assailants, where he was threatened at gunpoint. Pleterski was held captive for three days, subjected to multiple assaults and taken to various locations before eventually being released in downtown Toronto. The suspects demanded a significant sum of Canadian currency, threatening the victim’s life and family.
On July 17, 2023, four individuals were arrested in connection with the abduction, identified as Deren Akyeam-Pong, Rakeem Henry, Akil Heywood, and Tyler Fast. A fifth suspect, Alfredo Paladino, was charged on July 21, 2023.
Heywood reportedly filed a claim for the £500,000 he invested with Pleterski towards cryptocurrency and foreign exchange positions. It remains unclear whether the other individuals involved in the alleged kidnapping had invested with the Crypto King.
In September 2023, reports emerged suggesting that Pleterski was traveling internationally, a year after declaring bankruptcy. Additionally, the CBC reported that Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander successfully reversed his £6-million purchase of a Burlington mansion previously owned by Pleterski. The lawsuit alleged that the sellers failed to disclose a series of threatening visits by individuals seeking the Crypto King and threatening him with violence at the property..
1. Ontario Crypto King arrested fraud charges
2. Ontario Crypto King charged with fraud.
