Toronto Jury Finds Self-Described Crypto King Aiden Pleterski Guilty of Fraud

A Toronto jury found Aiden Pleterski guilty of fraud on Thursday, October 29, 2026, convicting the self-described Crypto King after just over an hour of deliberation. Pleterski, 27, of Whitby, Ontario, was convicted of one count of fraud over C$5,000. He had pleaded not guilty. The case was the largest fraud case in the history of Ontario's Durham region.

A defence he ran himself

Pleterski represented himself at trial. He cross-examined only one witness, presented no evidence and did not testify in his own defence. In closing arguments, Crown prosecutor Akshay Aurora told the jury: "Pleterski was no 'Crypto King'. He was a thief. A thief who stole investor money and used it as he pleased." In his own closing statement, Pleterski said: "I am innocent of these charges. That is why I pled not guilty. Had I not been forced to represent myself, that would have been proven."

Where the money went

Investors gave Pleterski more than C$36 million to trade on the FXChoice platform, money the Crown said came from at least 140 investors around the Greater Toronto Area. He spent more than C$16 million of it on himself, including a lakefront mansion in Burlington rented at C$45,000 a month, numerous luxury cars and high end watches and jewelry. Crown financial records shown at trial put the amount he eventually gave back to investors at C$16.1 million. Prosecutors said money sent to his company, AP Private Equity Limited, also paid for multiple private jet trips and about C$5.6 million in luxury vehicles, while he ran up C$4.9 million in credit card bills.

Project Swan

A second charge of money laundering was dropped by the Crown. Pleterski was charged in May 2024 with fraud and money laundering after a 16 month joint investigation by Durham Regional Police and the Ontario Securities Commission. Durham police had launched Project Swan in 2022, working with investigators from the Halton, Toronto and York police services, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the securities commission. At the time of the charges, Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira said it was potentially the biggest fraud case the region had seen.

House arrest, then sentencing

Pleterski will remain under house arrest while he awaits sentencing, with his parents acting as sureties. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 13, 2026, and he has hired lawyer Marco Sciarra to represent him at that stage. The case had already taken one violent turn years earlier: in December 2022, Pleterski was kidnapped in downtown Toronto and held and tortured by captors demanding a large sum of money. Five suspects were later charged in the kidnapping.