Self-represented 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski faces fraud trial in Toronto
Aiden Pleterski, who calls himself the “Crypto King,” began his fraud and money-laundering trial in Toronto, representing himself before a jury of fourteen.
Ontario Superior Court in Toronto commenced the criminal trial of Aiden Pleterski, the self-styled “Crypto King,” on Tuesday morning. The 27-year-old defendant, who chose to act as his own counsel, entered a not-guilty plea to charges of fraud exceeding $5,000 and money-laundering. A jury of fourteen members—seven men and seven women—was finalized on Monday by Justice Shaun Nakatsuru, with twelve jurors slated to deliberate at the case’s conclusion.
Pleterski’s arrest in May 2024 followed a collaborative probe by Durham Regional Police and the Ontario Securities Commission, dubbed Project Swan, which alleged he ran a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme from July 2020 to July 2022. The prosecution intends to present over a dozen witnesses, and the trial is projected to last about a month.
