Canadian law enforcement agents have reportedly arrested the 39-year-old Akil Heywood over allegations that he kidnapped, threatened, and beat Aiden Pleterski in December 2022. The latter supposedly orchestrated a crypto scam, draining over $40 million from investors. Records show that Heywood invested $740,000 with Pleterski, making him one of the countless victims.
The alleged fraudster apologized in a recent video, vowing to “live on the bare minimum” to repay the conned investors.
A Brutal Way to Get Revenge?
As reported by CBC, Heywood is among the five people facing charges connected to the kidnapping and assault of the self-proclaimed “Crypto King” Aiden Pleterski at the end of last year. The former was supposedly one of the individuals lured into a cryptocurrency scheme run by the latter and served as an inspector in the case’s bankruptcy proceedings.
“I’ve never seen a bankruptcy proceeding where an inspector is charged in a kidnapping and a forcible confinement related to recovering money in a bankruptcy,” said fraud recovery lawyer Norman Groot.
A spokesperson for Grant Thornton informed that Heywood resigned as an inspector on July 7. Apart from the alleged kidnapping, the 39-year-old Chairman of Atlantic Mas Camp supposedly threatened a bankruptcy trustee Rob Stelzer to induce him to pay $2 million in cryptocurrency (a sum much higher than the $740,000 he lost investing with the “Crypto King”). While the investigation is ongoing, the Canadian authorities have released Heywood on bail.
Pleterski’s lawyer – Micheal Simaan – said his client “is grateful for the work of the Toronto Police in apprehending those involved in his kidnapping and assault.”
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It is worth mentioning that Pleterski warned about Heywood’s aggressive behavior two weeks before the abduction. He said during an interview that the accused kidnapper “is still, by the way, uttering threats, and very dangerous, violent threats, to me over Instagram comment sections and text messages.”
The four other men accused of Pleterski’s kidnapping face additional charges, such as pointing a firearm at him. None of the claims have so far been tested in court.
From a ‘Crypto King’ to a Man Begging for Forgiveness
Besides informing about the kidnapping and the related suspects, the media outlet published a video showing how Pleterski regrets the losses he caused to the investors. The visibly beaten man explained that he started dealing with digital currencies in 2020, whereas, in the following months, he offered his services to family, friends, and other individuals.
And while the scheme worked perfectly during the crypto bull market, “everything went downhill” when prices started nosediving.
“When the crypto market started to tank in November of 2021, I should have been honest with everybody. I lost enough to where my debts outweighed my assets … I lost close to $45 million strictly alone in the crypto market within one month,” Pleterski said.
According to a bankruptcy report seen by CBC, the “Crypto King” used only $670,700 of the aforementioned sum as intended, whereas he spent approximately $16 million to fund his lavish lifestyle (going on vacations, renting private jets, and purchasing luxurious cars).
Pleterski admitted employing some investor deposits toward car payments, food expenses, and house settlements. He said he felt “very humiliated” and “embarrassed,” promising to work around the clock to reimburse victims:
“I’m going to do it before I go and buy myself another car before I go and buy myself another watch before I go and buy myself expensive clothing or anything. I’m going to live on the bare minimum until every last soul is paid back.”
On the other hand, Pleterski’s lawyer claimed that the information from the video should not be taken for granted as his client might have been forced to say those things by his kidnappers. Moreover, the alleged crypto scammer has insisted he is innocent.
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