In December 2022, Deren Akyeam-Pong, aged 26, has admitted guilt to charges linked to the abduction of Aiden Pleterski, known as Ontario’s “Crypto King.” Akyeam-Pong pleaded guilty to nine offenses, which include kidnapping, assault, and several firearms charges in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto. The specifics of his confession, outlined in an agreed statement of facts, are presently under a temporary publication ban.
The trial for the other two individuals implicated in the abduction was scheduled to commence this week with jury selection. However, following Akyeam-Pong’s guilty plea, the defense attorneys for the co-accused requested a postponement, which Justice Gillian Roberts granted. A new trial date has not yet been arranged.
Akil Heywood, one of the two defendants slated for trial, allegedly lost significant sums of money to Pleterski and is facing charges related to the purported kidnapping, along with two counts of extortion. Heywood, aged 41, has maintained his innocence. Alfredo Paladino will be tried alongside Heywood on charges of kidnapping, extortion, firearm possession, and assault. The allegations against both individuals have not been tested in court.
Since the summer of 2022, when Aiden Pleterski, now 26, was pushed into bankruptcy by certain investors, CBC has extensively covered the case. Investors have been attempting to recover over $40 million entrusted to Pleterski for investment in cryptocurrency and foreign exchange markets. A bankruptcy proceeding in Toronto has retrieved around $3 million for approximately 160 investors. Investigations revealed that Pleterski used almost $16 million of investor funds on personal expenses like private jet rentals, vacations, and luxury cars.
Heywood played a significant role in Pleterski’s bankruptcy until his arrest in July 2023. He was chosen as one of five inspectors by fellow investors in August 2022 to represent their interests in the bankruptcy proceedings. A video, received by CBC reporters on the same day Heywood was arrested, showed a battered Pleterski explaining the circumstances surrounding the money and apologizing to investors, with his lawyer later asserting that Pleterski had been coerced by his alleged captors.
In May 2024, Pleterski was detained and charged with fraud and money laundering pertaining to the investor funds. These allegations are yet to be tested in court, and Pleterski’s trial is planned for October of the following year.
