Aiden Pleterski, who called himself the “Crypto King,” was found guilty of fraud over $5,000 by a jury during his trial in Toronto on Thursday morning.
Pleterski, representing himself, showed visible emotion after the verdict was announced in Ontario Superior Court.
The jury started deliberating at about 10:30 a. m. and returned with their decision just 10 minutes before noon.
While awaiting sentencing, Pleterski will be under house arrest. His parents, who were present for the verdict, will serve as his sureties. He has also retained Marco Sciarra, the lawyer who previously assisted him in trying to delay his trial, to oversee his sentencing proceedings.
Neither Pleterski nor Crown prosecutor Scott Patterson commented following the verdict.
During closing statements on Wednesday, Patterson’s co-counsel referred to Pleterski as “a thief.”
“Mr. Pleterski was no ‘Crypto King.’ Far from it. As it turns out he was no king at all. He was a thief. A thief who stole investor money and used it as he pleased. A thief who stole investor money using calculated lies,” Crown prosecutor Akshay Aurora told the jury.
“As you’ve seen, he burned through that money.… He lived his best life while his investors begged for updates on their funds, only to be ignored.”
Crown prosecutor Akshay Aurora delivered a roughly 90-minute closing statement at Pleterski’s fraud trial on Wednesday. (Pam Davies/CBC)
Pleterski took more than $36 million from investors for trading but never invested any of it into the trading platform FXChoice as promised. Instead, evidence presented at trial revealed that he spent $16.3 million on personal expenses and returned another $16.1 million back to investors as returns.
At the conclusion of the Crown’s case, they dropped an additional charge of money laundering against him.
An investigation by first highlighted Pleterski over four years ago when some of his investors pushed him into bankruptcy in summer 2022. They were trying to figure out where at least $35 million they had given him ended up.
Between then and his arrest in May 2024, Pleterski faced kidnapping related to his scheme but continued traveling despite declaring bankruptcy; additionally, a Canadian NBA star successfully sued him over an $8.4 million lakefront mansion purchase where Pleterski had resided.
Earlier this week, Pleterski’s request for a mistrial was denied. He claimed he didn’t get a fair trial without legal representation. Throughout the trial, he only cross-examined one out of 14 witnesses called by the Crown and opted not to present any evidence or testify himself.
He did make a brief closing statement to the jury on Wednesday.
Pleterski addressed the jury for the first time at his fraud trial yesterday in Toronto, giving a brief closing statement on Oct. 28, 2026. (Pam Davies/CBC)</P
“I am the least qualified person here to give a closing statement,” said Pleterski as he spoke to the jury for the first time.</P
“However, that being 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. That’s all I have to say.”</P
Justice Shaun Nakatsuru provided his full ruling denying Pleterski’s request for a mistrial Thursday morning after deliberations began.</P
“I’m still confident if Mr. Pleterski had chosento do sohewouldhavebeenabletomakefulldefence,” Nakatsuru statedinhis ruling.
</P“Nothing I haveseenatthistrialhaschangedmyviewonthat.. Hehasnotbroughtacomputeroratablet, heneverbroughtany Crowndisclosure…. Hehasnotmadeasinglenotethat Ihaveseen.. I’mnotevensurehewaspayingattentiontothewitnesses.”</PPleter ski will return tocourt on Nov.13to setdatesforhissentencing.
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