Late one night in early December, Aiden Pleterski, a self-proclaimed “Crypto King,” was kidnapped, then beaten and tortured over three days, according to court records.
Eventually, his kidnappers — including one of his investors — let him go, but they left him with a threat: Pay up fast and don’t go to the police, court records said.
This week, Akil Heywood, 39, who had invested with Mr. Pleterski, 24, was charged with kidnapping him. The Toronto Police Service said in a statement on Monday that it had arrested and charged four men on counts of kidnapping for ransom and other charges: Mr. Heywood, Tyler Fast, 37, and Deren Akyeam-Pong, 24, all of Toronto, as well as Rakeem Henry, 24, of London.
Mr. Heywood was among dozens who invested with Mr. Pleterski, who was supposed to invest their money in cryptocurrency and foreign exchange positions, according to court documents. But after spending money feeding a lavish lifestyle, buying three Lamborghinis and three McLarens, Mr. Pleterski filed for bankruptcy in August, leaving investors wondering what had happened to their money.
Mr. Heywood, who did not respond to requests for comment this week, had filed a claim for losing $740,000 that he had invested with Mr. Pleterski, according to Grant Thornton, the appointed trustee in the bankruptcy case. It was unclear whether the three other men charged in the kidnapping had also invested with Mr. Pleterski.
Here’s what to know about Mr. Pleterski, his kidnapping and his bankruptcy filing.
A kidnapping in the middle of the night.
The Toronto Police Service said they were alerted about a missing person in the downtown Toronto area on Dec. 5. The victim in the kidnapping was “lured into a vehicle by the suspects,” and that once he was inside, two men pointed firearms at him, the police said.
The Toronto police did not name Mr. Pleterski when they announced the arrests, but court documents indicate that it was Mr. Pleterski who had been kidnapped on the night of Dec. 5.
The suspects “demanded a large amount of Canadian currency, and the victim’s life and family were threatened,” the police said.
The victim was “held captive” for three days while he was taken to several places, where he was assaulted, the police said. At one point over the three days, the police said, a firearm was discharged, but they did not say whether anyone was injured as a result.
After three days, the victim was let go in the downtown Toronto area, the police said.
In a court interview in December, Dragan Pleterski, Mr. Pleterski’s father, said that while he was kidnapped, his son was beaten and tortured, and that he was allowed to make phone calls only to specific people.
“I was not one of those people that he was allowed to contact,” Mr. Pleterski said. “He was released with the threat that he needed to come up with some money fast, and if he had went to the police, that there would be a lot more trouble.”
An investigation prompted the arrest of the four men…
2023-07-20 08:02:10
Article from www.nytimes.com
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