A man pleads guilty to kidnapping and torturing Ontario's "Crypto King"

A man named Deren Akyeam-Pong has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and torturing Ontario's self-proclaimed “Crypto King,” Aiden Pleterski, in an incident that occurred in December 2022, according to CBC.

Pleterski was previously accused of defrauding investors of over 40 million USD and spending lavishly on supercars, private jets, and travel. He was kidnapped, held for 3 days, and forced to call asking for a 3 million USD ransom.

Two other accomplices are still awaiting trial, while Pleterski also faces charges of fraud and money laundering.

Aiden PleterskiExperts warn that the trend of real-life attacks targeting wealthy crypto individuals is increasing sharply, as victims often flaunt their wealth online.

In Canada alone, there have been many similar cases, such as the WonderFi CEO being demanded a ransom of 1 million CAD, or the kidnapping that demanded 1 million USD in Bitcoin in Toronto.

According to researcher Jameson Lopp, the year 2025 recorded more than 52 attacks targeting crypto users worldwide.