Kidnapping of 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski: Was It Staged?
Three men stand trial for the 2022 kidnapping of fraudster Aiden Pleterski. Defence suggests the abduction was faked to conceal millions in scammed investor funds.
Trial Raises Questions Over Crypto King's Kidnapping Claim
Toronto Sun Crime reports that the jury trial of three men accused of kidnapping self-styled "Crypto King" Aiden Pleterski got underway this week — with the defence wasting little time suggesting the entire abduction may have been staged.
Akil Heywood, alleged to be the mastermind behind the scheme, along with accused kidnappers Alfredo Paladino and Rakeem Henry, have all pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege that in December 2022, Pleterski was abducted and tortured over several days under threat of death unless he repaid money owed to an enraged investor.
The defence tells a different story.
Star Witness Faces Pointed Accusations
The Crown's first witness, Sandeep Gupta, took the stand to describe his relationship with Pleterski. Gupta, head of the hotel division of a family company that owned a $10 million Burlington mansion being leased to Pleterski, said the then-23-year-old had fallen behind on $45,000-a-month payments after the crypto market crashed in 2022.
Gupta described himself as a "sounding board" for the young man, who had admitted losing millions of investors' money but claimed to be working to pay them back. Gupta testified he would never have assisted Pleterski had he known the crypto trader was running a Ponzi scheme.
In the early hours of December 6, 2022, Gupta received an urgent call from Pleterski at his Ritz Carlton condo. Pleterski demanded $2 to $3 million and sounded in distress. Believing Pleterski had been kidnapped, Gupta called 911.
Leora Shemesh, lawyer for accused Paladino, repeatedly referred to the incident as the "purported kidnapping" during cross-examination and challenged the nature of Gupta's involvement. She pointed out that Gupta had not merely provided housing — he had moved Pleterski into a company condo in Horseshoe Valley, connected him with legal counsel for bankruptcy proceedings, and approved an affidavit in which Pleterski declared: "I've lost all of my market investments and those of people who were investing with me. The suggestion that I have money stored away somewhere is entirely false."
Shemesh also noted that Gupta had allowed Pleterski to use an office computer and was in discussions about taking over leases on Pleterski's Ferrari and Lamborghini.
"That's Absolutely False"
The defence lawyer pressed Gupta on whether this level of support crossed into helping Pleterski conceal assets from bankruptcy trustees.
"I'm going to suggest to you that Mr. Pleterski worked for you," Shemesh told the witness.
"I would heavily disagree with that," Gupta replied.
"That you two worked together to divert monies away from the trustee and the bankruptcy proceedings. You helped him," Shemesh said.
"That's absolutely false," Gupta retorted.
Shemesh also challenged the credibility of the 911 call itself. She noted that during the phone call, Pleterski never explicitly told Gupta he had been kidnapped, nor that he was injured.
Gupta acknowledged this but said he could tell from Pleterski's tone of voice and believed the alleged kidnappers were listening in — which explained why Pleterski kept suggesting Gupta was also involved.
Shemesh countered with a pointed suggestion: that the frantic phone call had in fact been an attempt to extract $2 to $3 million from Gupta himself.
"So, I did think that afterwards," Gupta conceded.
Shemesh further noted the destination to which Pleterski was dropped off after the alleged kidnapping: the very Ritz Carlton where Gupta lived. In October 2022, weeks before the incident and after Pleterski had been declared bankrupt and was widely accused of defrauding investors, he had been texting Gupta seeking help to rent a unit at the building, where rents ranged from $8,000 to $30,000 per month.
"He somehow makes his way to you," Shemesh remarked.
Convicted Fraudster Set to Testify
Pleterski himself is expected to take the stand as the star prosecution witness. He was convicted of fraud just weeks prior to his scheduled appearance. His testimony is anticipated to be central to the Crown's case against the three accused men.
The trial continues.
Source: Toronto Sun Crime