'Crypto king' allegedly abducted and tortured after 'scamming' investors out of $29 million
Topics: Crime, Cryptocurrency, Machine Gun Kelly
Harley Young
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@aiden.ptrs
Topics: Crime, Cryptocurrency, Machine Gun Kelly
A self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Canada was allegedly kidnapped and tortured following claims that he scammed investors out of millions to fund the glamorous lifestyle that he showcased online.
According to a lawsuit, 23-year-old Aiden Pleterski is going through bankruptcy as authorities attempt to recover $29 million that he's accused of scamming from investors.
Up to now, only $1.6 million has been recovered and reports say that Pleterski has spent the majority of the millions on a private jet, expensive cars and luxury vacations.
Pleterski's father, Adam Peters, has since come forward to say his son was kidnapped in the middle of the night back in December, 2022.
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Transcripts from court examinations with Peters and Pleterski’s landlord, reviewed by CTV News Toronto, reveal more details about how the kidnapping unfolded.
Peters says he received a call demanding $3 million CAD as ransom money to release his son, and that Pleterski was taken around Ontario, beaten and tortured.
"He was taken. They basically held him for approximately three days, drove him around different, various parts of southern Ontario, beat him, tortured him, allowed him to make specific phone calls to specific people only," Peters told a courtroom in December.
"I was not one of those people that he was allowed to contact."
Pleterski was apparently released a few days later but was threatened to find the money quickly. His landlord then said he received a call from him begging him to pay the ransom, to which the landlord responded: "There's absolutely nothing that I can do."
No suspects have been named and Toronto police have not given any information regarding a possible kidnapper or arrest.
The trustee producing the report, Rob Stelzer, told CTV that he had spoken to Toronto police back in December regarding the kidnapping.
"I mean, obviously, he owes a lot of people a lot of money," Stelzer said.
Norman Groot, an attorney hired by some of the scammed investors, says that $29 million could just be the beginning of what is owed back by Pleterski, claiming the 23-year-old was running a ponzi scheme on his clients.
Court documents state Pleterski told investors he would increase the value of their money, but in actuality, more than 98 percent of the money he collected was never invested
Pleterski's Instagram Stories and Highlights show off his expensive haul of luxury cars, as well as private jet trips to luxury destinations. Here, Pleterski was seen living it up on luxury yachts, dining on expensive wine and oysters and buying front row seats to huge concerts.
Pleterski is said to have had a fleet of at least 10 different sports cars, designed to highlight his flashy lifestyle.
Pleterski's lawyers have not commented on the alleged kidnapping as of yet, according to CBC News.