Late one night in early December, self-proclaimed “crypto king” Aiden Pletersky was kidnapped, then beaten and tortured for three days, according to court documents.
Eventually, his captors — 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 documents said.
This week, Akhil Heywood, 39, who invested with Mr Pletersky, 24, was charged with abducting him. The Toronto Police Service, in a statement Monday, arrested and charged four people with kidnapping for ransom and other charges: Mr. Haywood, Tyler Fast, 37, and Derren Akyem-Pong, 24, all of Toronto, as well as Rakim Henry, 24, of London.
Mr. Haywood was among dozens who invested with Mr. Pletersky, who were supposed to invest their money in cryptocurrency and foreign exchange positions, according to court documents. But after spending money to feed a lavish lifestyle, buying three Lamborghinis and three McLarens, Mr. Pletersky filed for bankruptcy in August, leaving investors wondering what happened to their money.
Mr., who did not respond to requests for comment this week. Haywood, according to Grant Thornton, the trustee appointed in the bankruptcy case, had filed a claim for $740,000 in investments with Mr. Pletersky. It was not clear whether the three other men charged in the kidnapping also invested with Mr. Pletersky.
Here’s what to know about Mr. Pletersky, his kidnapping and his bankruptcy filing.
A midnight kidnapping.
The Toronto Police Service was alerted to a missing person in the downtown Toronto area on December 5th. Police said the kidnapping victim was “lured into a vehicle by the suspect” and while he was inside, two men pointed guns at him.
Toronto police did not name Mr. Pleterski when they announced the arrests, but court documents indicate Mr. Pleterski was the one abducted on the night of Dec. 5.
Police said the suspects “demanded a large amount of Canadian currency and threatened the victim’s life and family.”
The victim was kept in “bondi” for three days and was taken to several places where he was assaulted, police said. At one point over the three days, police said the gun discharged, but they did not say if anyone was injured as a result.
Three days later, the victim was dropped off in the downtown Toronto area, police said.
In a court interview in December, Mr. Pletarski’s father Dragan Pletarski said that when he was abducted, his son was beaten and tortured and was only allowed to make phone calls to certain people.
“I’m not one of the people he’s allowed to contact,” Mr Pleterski said. “He needed some money quickly and was released with threats that if he went to the police, there would be more trouble.”
The investigation led to the arrest of four men in early July, one of whom was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun, police said.
Mr Heywood was arrested on July 5 and released on bail. Mr Fast was also released on bail.
As of Wednesday, Mr. Henry had not had a bail hearing and Mr. Akyem-Pong was arrested after a bail hearing, according to an Ontario court in Toronto.
Mr. Henry did not respond to requests for comment this week. Mr. Akyeam-Pong and Mr. Fast could not be reached, and it was unclear if he had an attorney.
Who is Aiden Pletersky?
Mr. Pletersky, the “self-described ‘Crypto King,'” ran AP Private Equity Ltd. as an investment business, according to court documents.
Mr. Pletersky did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Mr. Pletersky’s lawyer, Michael Siman, declined to comment Wednesday.
Mr. Platersky to study cybersecurity at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, according to a court interview before he was abducted in connection with his bankruptcy case in November.
In the interview, Mr. Pletersky said he had no formal education in investing, cryptocurrencies, financial markets or foreign currency markets. Mr Pleterski said he started investing in the cryptocurrency markets when he was about 16 or 17 years old after using cryptocurrency while playing video games.
“That peaked my interest,” he said, “around the same time I started seeing some guys on social media, like, posting luxury cars, posting luxury lifestyles.”
Mr. Pleterski said he started investing with a few thousand dollars he received from family members, including birthday money and umpiring baseball games.
“Most of the money comes from family members,” he said in an interview.
Three McLarens, two Lamborghinis and three Audis
Mr. Pletersky incorporated AP Private Equity Ltd. on Dec. 13, 2021, according to court records. At that time, he started looking for people to invest in cryptocurrencies and foreign markets.
Mr. A number of people, including Haywood, were Mr. Invested millions with Pletersky. According to court records, Mr.
Instead, Mr. Pleterski spent about $15.9 million on “extensive vacations” and private jet charters, including three McLarens, two Lamborghinis, three Audis and two BMWs, as well as several luxury vehicles, according to court documents.
A banking analysis “discovered the extravagant lifestyle Pletersky was living, which was funded by his investors” that “ultimately led to his bankruptcy,” court documents said.
More than 150 creditors have filed claims against Mr. Pletersky in the bankruptcy case, according to Grant Thornton.
Mr. Pletersky was beaten on video.
In a video obtained by CBC Toronto this week, a visibly defeated Mr. Pletersky apologized to investors and provided a timeline of what happened to the money they lost. It is unclear when the video was taken, but Mr. Pletersky’s lawyer told the news outlet that his captors forced him to talk.
“When the crypto market starts tanking in November 2021, I have to be honest with everyone,” Mr. Pletersky said in the video that he lost about $45 million in the crypto market in less than a month.
“I lost a lot where my debts outweighed my assets,” he said, later in the video saying he wanted to “make it right for everybody.”
“I’m going to do it before I go and buy another car, before I go and buy another watch, before I go and buy my expensive clothes or whatever,” Mr. Pleterski said. “I’m going to live at least until every last soul is returned.”
