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The rise and fall of Canadian “crypto king” Aiden Pleterski
- By Holly Honderich
- BBC news
May 16, 2024
Image caption, In a video obtained by the CBC, Mr. Pleterski apologizes to investors
In December 2022, in the middle of the night, 25-year-old Aiden Pleterski was kidnapped in downtown Toronto.
His captors released the self-proclaimed “King of Cryptocurrencies” after three days, but under threat: According to court documents, Mr. Pleterski had to find money quickly.
“I’m sorry, I really am, I didn’t want or intend to ruin anyone’s life,” says a wounded and bloodied Mr Pleterski in a video obtained by CBC News. His lawyer later claimed that the video was shot during the kidnapping.
It was not the first – nor the last – problem for the young Canadian who presented himself as a cryptocurrency wizard promising “expert investments”.
This week, following a 16-month investigation, Ontario police and the provincial securities commission announced that Mr Pleterski had been charged with fraud over C$5,000 ($3,600; £2,900) and laundering of proceeds of crime.
Police also charged another man, Colin Murphy, 27, allegedly an associate of Mr Pleterski.
The investigation, dubbed “Project Swan” by authorities, is believed to be the largest fraud case ever in the region, Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira said Thursday.
It involves interviews with “a large number” of victims, more than three dozen court orders and thousands of pages of financial documents, he said.
Mr. Pleterski was not registered “in any capacity” with any Canadian securities regulator, said Stephen Henkel, at the Ontario Securities Commission.
Authorities said Pleterski may have solicited investors as early as February 2024.
If convicted, he faces up to 14 years behind bars.
None of the allegations against Mr Pleterski have been tested in court.
In announcing the charges Thursday, Ontario authorities remained tight-lipped about the details of their case, citing a publication ban on the case.
But according to the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Pleterski had raised about 41.5 million Canadian dollars from investors, promising to invest in cryptocurrencies and foreign markets.
Image source, Durham Regional Police Service
According to court documents, he invested just 1.6 percent of that sum, spending millions on luxury cars, private jet flights and lakeside mansions.
Mr. Pleterski was still in high school when he began dabbling in cryptocurrency, using it to make purchases in video games such as Call of Duty.
At the same time, he started noticing people “posting luxury cars, posting luxury lifestyles” on social media, he said during an interview for his bankruptcy case.
Mr. Pleterski looked into the issue and found that many claim to earn money by investing in cryptocurrencies.
“That’s what piqued my interest,” he said.
By 2020, Pleterski began investing, starting with a few thousand dollars from family members and some money from his job as a baseball umpire.
By December of that year, he had moved into his rented house, paying C$9,000 a month from income from his businesses plus a “couple of thousand dollars” from a government emergency subsidy for those financially affected by the pandemic of Covid-19.
A few months later, he had moved again, to a multimillion-dollar, five-bedroom mansion in Burlington, 50 km (30 miles) south of Toronto.
That same year, his parents wanted to invest and gave him a sum of C$50,000, according to court documents. Mr. Pleterski gave his parents a return on their investment, they said, as well as luxury gifts: a McLaren 60LT and a BMW M8 for his father, a Louis Vuitton bag and a Burberry coat for his mother, and a Bentley Bentayga from 2017 for the couple’s wedding. anniversary.
Dragan and Kathy Pleterski told lawyers at Grant Thornton, an accounting firm and trustee named in the bankruptcy case, that they believed their son was “running a successful investment business.”
Meanwhile, he was cultivating the kind of social media presence that first piqued his interest in investing. Mr. Pleterski posted photos of himself on private jets, on vacation in Miami and the Bahamas and of a driveway full of luxury cars.
“Where will life take me next?” she wrote in a caption.
But in April 2022, cracks in Mr. Pleterski’s luxurious life began to show.
Lawsuits filed by investors began to pile up, with allegations of misappropriation of their money.
From there, it was a slow trickle. In July, the Ontario Superior Court ordered Mr. Pleterski’s assets to be frozen. In August, the court ordered him and his company bankrupt.
Then, in December, the alleged kidnapping.
Last summer, Toronto police arrested five suspects in kidnapping-for-ransom and other charges, including a man who had invested funds with Mr. Pleterski, court documents say.
The new owners of Mr. Pleterski’s Burlington mansion also faced threats.
Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his partner Hailey Summers fled the property after a man showed up and demanded to know where Mr Pleterski was.
After the couple reported the incident, police said they had received previous reports of attempted break-ins at the property.
“Ms. Summers and Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander were sufficiently alarmed by this news that they left their newly purchased dream home, never to return,” their lawyer said in court documents. The couple later won a lawsuit canceling the home purchase.
For his part, Pleterski made what appeared to be one of his first public references to the saga on Thursday, posting a simple Instagram story thanking his followers for standing by him.
“So many of you guys support me, you all are amazing,” he wrote.
News
How Ether Spot ETF Approval Could Impact Crypto Prices: CNBC Crypto World
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CNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and gives viewers a glimpse of what’s to come with high-profile interviews, explainers and unique stories from the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. On today’s show, Ledn Chief Investment Officer John Glover weighs in on what’s driving cryptocurrency prices right now and how the potential approval of spot ether ETFs could impact markets.
News
Miners’ ‘Capitulation’ Signals Bitcoin Price May Have Bottomed Out: CryptoQuant
According to CryptoQuant, blockchain data shows signs that the Bitcoin mining industry is “capitulating,” a likely precursor to Bitcoin hitting a local price bottom before reaching new highs.
CryptoQuant analyzed metrics for miners, who are responsible for securing the Bitcoin network in exchange for newly minted BTC. As outlined in the market intelligence platform’s Wednesday report, multiple signs of capitulation have emerged over the past month, during which Bitcoin’s price has fallen 13% from $68,791 to $59,603.
One such sign includes a significant drop in Bitcoin’s hash rate, the total computing power that backs Bitcoin. After hitting a record high of 623 exashashes per second (EH/s) on April 27, the hash rate has fallen 7.7% to 576 EH/s, its lowest level in four months.
“Historically, extreme hash rate drawdowns have been associated with price bottoms,” CryptoQuant wrote. In particular, the 7.7% drawdown is reminiscent of an equivalent hash rate drawdown in December 2022, when Bitcoin’s price bottomed at $16,000 before rallying over 300% over the next 15 months.
This latest hash rate drop follows Bitcoin’s fourth cyclical “halving” event in April, which cut the number of coins paid out to miners in half. According to CryptoQuant’s Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Indicator, this has left miners “mostly extremely underpaid” since April 20, forcing many to shut down mining machines that have now become unprofitable.
CrypotoQuant said that miners faced a 63% drop in daily revenue after the halving, when both Bitcoin block rewards and transaction fee revenues were much higher.
During this time, Bitcoin miners were seen moving coins from their on-chain wallets at a faster rate than usual, indicating that they may be selling their BTC reserves“Daily miner outflows reached their highest volume since May 21,” the company wrote.
Among the sales of Bitcoin miners, whales and national governmentsBitcoin’s price drop in June also hurt Bitcoin’s “hash price,” a metric of Bitcoin Miner Profitability per unit of computing power.
“Average mining revenue per hash (hash price) continues to hover near all-time lows,” CryptoQuant wrote. “Hashprice stands at $0.049 per EH/s, just above the all-time low hashprice of $0.045 reached on May 1st.”
By Ryan-Ozawa.
News
US Congressman French Hill Doubles Down on Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
US lawmaker French Hill has noted that Donald Trump will take a more pro-crypto approach than the current administration. The run-up to the presidential election has seen cryptocurrencies become an issue with lawmakers making huge statements ahead of the polls. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to the industry, making a pro-crypto case.
French Hill Backs Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
Republican Congressman French Hill has explained the type of cryptocurrency regulatory framework he believes Donald Trump could adopt in the country. In a recent interview with CNBC, French Hill said that the recently passed FIT21 bill is the type of regulatory framework the Trump administration will adopt in the sector.
#FIT21 passed the House with 71 Democratic votes, it’s exactly the kind of digital asset regulatory framework former President Trump would support if re-elected.
See more on @SquawkCNBC🔽 photo.twitter.com/ceTmU4LApU
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) July 3, 2024
THE FIT21 Bill It is intended to protect investors and consumers in the market by establishing clear rules and powers for the various regulators in the sector. According to Hill, Trump will adopt it because it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the specific regulatory framework needed in the market.
“… for people who are innovating and starting a crypto token, a related business, custody of those assets, how to ensure consumer protection, so I think that framework is the right approach and that’s what I’m going to recommend to the President to pass, which is that we have not passed it between now and the end of this Congress.”
He also called Trump an innovative and pro-growth president in financial matters.
Cryptocurrency is going mainstream
This election cycle saw the cryptocurrency industry taking a place in mainstream issues following broader adoption across demographics. From candidates moving toward enthusiasts to recent pro-Congress legislation, cryptocurrencies have become a rallying point for officials. The U.S. regulatory landscape has been criticized for stifling growth due to frequent SEC LawsuitsThis has led executives to push for pro-cryptocurrency laws and raise money for pro-industry candidates.
Read also: Federal Reserve Predicts “AI Will Be Deflationary” to Stimulate Economy
David is a financial news contributor with 4 years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrency. He is interested in learning about emerging technologies and has an eye for breaking news. Keeping up to date with trends, David has written in several niches including regulation, partnerships, cryptocurrency, stocks, NFTs, etc. Away from the financial markets, David enjoys cycling and horseback riding.
News
US Court Orders Sam Ikkurty to Pay $84 Million for Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme
A federal court has ordered Jafia LLC and its owner, Sam Ikkurty, to pay nearly $84 million to cryptocurrency investors after ruling that the company was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The ruling, issued by Judge Mary Rowland in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, follows a lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022 after the fund collapsed.
Judge Rowland found that Ikkurty, based in Portland, Oregon, did numerous false claims on his company’s hedge funds.
These included misleading statements about his trading experience and the promise of high and stable profits. Instead, Ikkurty used funds from new investors to pay off previous investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.
The Ponzi Scheme
The court found that Ikkurty misappropriated investment funds for personal use without the knowledge of the investors. These funds were used for personal use and were reported as Fraudulent Investmentscausing significant financial losses to customers.
This non-transparent operation violated Transparency Commission regulations, which led to the imposition of a hefty fine to compensate defrauded investors and restore some public confidence in the financial system.
Judge Rowland emphasized that fraudulent activity such as this violates the law and undermines the integrity of modern financial markets. The $84 million award seeks to address the financial harm inflicted on investors and reinforce the importance of legal compliance in cryptocurrency trading.
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