Canadian ‘Crypto King’ Aiden Pleterski awaits jury verdict in $30M fraud case

Crypto King fraud case — The fate of Canadian self-proclaimed “crypto king” Aiden Pleterski now rests with a jury as his criminal fraud trial concluded with closing arguments this week.

Pleterski, who represented himself in court, faces a single fraud charge related to an alleged digital asset Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say defrauded his social media followers of approximately $30 million between 2021 and 2022. The jury received final instructions from Justice Shaun Nakatsuru on October 27, 2026, and is expected to begin deliberations imminently.

“I am innocent of these charges,” Pleterski told the court, according to a CBC report. “That is why I pled not guilty. Had I not been forced to represent myself, that would have been proven.” If convicted, he faces a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years.

The case is one of several high-profile crypto fraud prosecutions in North America. In a separate incident, five men were charged in 2022 with kidnapping and torturing Pleterski; some of the accused were reportedly victims of his alleged scheme.