Aiden Pleterski, who called himself a 'crypto king', is expected to represent himself when his criminal fraud trial begins in Canada next week. Charges against him were filed more than two years ago. Cointelegraph reported the trial date on Sep 28, 2026.
Prosecutors allege that Pleterski ran a crypto Ponzi scheme between 2021 and 2022. According to the allegations, he told investors they would earn large profits on digital assets and defrauded them. None of these allegations has yet been tested at trial.
The case also led to a kidnapping and to criminal charges connected to it. The report does not say who was kidnapped, who was charged in that case, or how many investors were involved and how much money they lost.
The report also does not say why Pleterski will not have a lawyer, or how long the trial is expected to last. Those details may come out once proceedings begin.
For anyone who already holds a perpetual futures position, this case changes nothing directly. The report does not name Bitget, Bybit, MEXC or OKX, and nothing in it touches funding rates, trading fees or liquidity on those venues. It is a criminal case about one person's alleged scheme, not a market or exchange event.
Source: cointelegraph — Canadian ‘crypto king’ set to represent himself at fraud trial