Crypto Prodigy, 23, Abducted Over Alleged $29M Scam

Aiden Pleterski, a self-acclaimed "crypto king," gets kidnapped and held for three days after he allegedly scammed investors out of millions, which he spent on financing a glamorous lifestyle for himself.

The 23-year-old is going through bankruptcy proceedings as Canadian authorities attempt to recover the $29 million, Pleterski scammed out of investors.

Only $1.6 million have been returned so far, and reports suggest that the rest of the money has been splurged by Pleterski on private jets, flashy cars, and luxurious vacations.

Pleterski's father, Adam Peters, reported getting a late-night call demanding ransom money of $3 million Canadian for his son, who was being driven around Ontario by kidnappers who kept beating and torturing him.

While kidnapped, Pleterski quickly called his landlord and begged him for millions to fulfill the ransom payments. However, in his testament to the investigators, the landlord revealed that he could do nothing for him.

The Toronto police have not revealed any suspects involved in the kidnapping nor details about any arrests that may have been made regarding the case.

Attorney Norman Groot, hired by the investors who got scammed, believes that the $29 million is just the beginning of Pleterski's investment scam and is convinced that the Canadian scammer is involved in a Ponzi scheme.

In 2021 after the crypto market crash, Pleterski revealed, "I guess you could say greed took over, and I was taking very aggressive positions, and I was trying to make returns that obviously weren't feasible or weren't necessarily possible at the time, and it just caused more losses."

Trustees investigating the scheme reported that Pleterski assured investors he would invest the $29 million in foreign currencies and crypto. Still, less than 2% of the total amount was invested, and the mastermind spent $362,000 to buy a warehouse where he stored the remaining cash.

The Canadian's Instagram revealed the extravagant life he built with the scammed money and squandered it on luxury yachts, jet skiing, expensive dinners with friends and women, and VIP concert seats.

The report also records the ten sports cars owned by Pleterski, which include a rare McLaren Senna, which he bought for over $1 million and spent another $700,000 on purchasing a mansion.

Rob Stelzer, the government-appointed trustee, plans to sell Pleterski's properties to assist with the refunds to the investors.

Unaware of their son's scam, Pleterski's parents revealed, "I knew when he was in high school, he was playing games upstairs on his computer just like any other teenager." 

The trustees' lawyer challenged the parent's statement and asked, "But at some point, you became aware that he was trading in cryptocurrency?"

To this, the parents, who benefited from more than $1.1 million from the scam, replied, "At some point, yes," and stated that they thought Pleterski was in a successful investment business.

The couple will give up an Audi S5 and Volkswagen Atlas valued at more than $100,000 and pooled another $812,000 to assist with the bankruptcy proceedings. 

Stelzer believes that more people have lost money in the scam, "We know $41 million came into the account net. We know only $25 million have filed claims. So you can do the math."

Encouraging others who've been victims of the Pleterski scam to come out, Stelzer said, "They should reach out … and get the claim filed. The only way they can participate in a dividend is by doing it."

Investigations surrounding the kidnapping are still underway, and Pleterski's lawyers have yet to comment on the abduction of their client.