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Canada's “Crypto King” Aiden Pleterski to Stand Trial Next Week, Facing 30000000 USD Cryptocurrency Fraud】

The criminal trial of Aiden Pleterski, who called himself the “Crypto King,” on alleged cryptocurrency fraud charges is scheduled to begin October 5 at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Canada. He is accused of soliciting funds from investors between 2021 and 2022 by promising “high weekly profits from savvy investments,” allegedly defrauding investors of approximately 30000000 USD. Canadian authorities filed fraud and money-laundering charges against him in 2024 May. According to CBC news reports, Pleterski failed to obtain an adjournment to hire a lawyer and is expected to represent himself. The trial is expected to last approximately 4 weeks; if convicted on the fraud charge alone, he faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. 2022 December, several men—some allegedly victims of the scheme—reportedly kidnapped and tortured Pleterski for 3 days, threatening his safety and that of his family and forcing him to record a video describing his role in the alleged fraud. Pleterski is one of several prominent cryptocurrency industry figures to face criminal charges during the market downturn of 2022. Executives of the bankrupt FTX and Celsius later also faced charges in the United States.