‘Cryptoking’ Aiden Pleterski kidnapped, held for ransom: report

News

Of Stephanie Pagones

March 26, 2023 | 15:00

A self-proclaimed “crypto king” was reportedly kidnapped, reportedly enduring days of torture and assault from attackers who demanded a multi-million dollar ransom.

Aiden Pleterski, 23, of Ontario, Canada, was “taken” from Toronto in December and held hostage by kidnappers who demanded at least $3 million, his father and associates said, CTV News Toronto reported.

Details of the abduction were revealed in court papers related to a bankruptcy proceeding involving millions of dollars that Pleterski allegedly spent on lavish living instead of investing.

“They basically held him for about three days, drove him around different parts of southern Ontario, beat him, tortured him, allowed him to make specific phone calls only to specific people. I was not one of the people he was allowed to contact, his father, who was not identified, said in December.

While being held captive, Pleterski contacted his landlord and asked for $3 million, court papers reportedly said.

“I received several calls from Aiden, but it was late at night,” the landlord reportedly said, “and then around 1:30 a.m. I finally had enough and I picked up the call.”

The homeowner recounted how Pleterski said there was no one else he could call, and he replied, “There’s absolutely nothing I can do.”

Pleterski is embroiled in a bankruptcy controversy in which he was allegedly asked to invest more than $40 million — and instead spent nearly $16 million on lavish vacations, expensive cars and private jets, according to CTV News.

Bankruptcy resident Rob Stelzer told CTV Pleterski “ran a business where he told people he would invest their money and that’s not what happened.”

“He really didn’t do what he said he was going to do,” Stelzer added.

In early December, Stelzer told CTV that he was informed by Toronto police that Pleterski had been kidnapped, adding, “I mean, obviously, he owes a lot of people a lot of money.”

According to the report, Pleterski actually invested less than 2% of the funds.