Authorities said on Wednesday that a self-described Canadian “Crypto King” and a companion who took in excess of C$40 million ($29.4 million) from investors had been taken into custody and charged with fraud.
According to a statement from Durham Regional Police, on May 2, Aiden Pleterski, 25, was charged with fraud totaling more than $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of criminal activity. The statement also stated that Pleterski’s associate, 27-year-old Colin Murphy, was charged with fraud as well and released on an undertaking.
The two men were charged following a 16-month investigation after police began receiving numerous complaints starting July 2022 about an investment fraud. The investigation revealed that the two were “generating large weekly profits through savvy investments,” the statement said, adding that the victims were ultimately “defrauded” and unable to recover their funds.
In August 2022, an Ontario’s Superior Court ordered Pleterski and his company, AP Private Equity Ltd, into bankruptcy and appointed Grant Thornton Ltd as trustee.
Only 1.6% of the C$41.5 million in investment funds that Aiden Pleterski received appear to have been invested, based on court documents that Grant Thornton made available online.
Pleterski must turn in his passport to the Durham police after being freed on a $100,000 bail with his parents serving as sureties.
Reuters reached out to attorney Michael Simaan, who previously represented Pleterski, but he did not return calls for comment.
Pleterski, who has more than 100,000 social media followers, would show off his trips and collection of high-end vehicles, such as McLarens and Lamborghinis.
“18-25 is a weird age. We have friends who don’t drive, some have kids, some are getting married, some are dating, and some still have to ask their parents go out [sic] after 10 pm,” wrote Pleterski in the text overlay of a video posted to TikTok late on Tuesday.
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