A Toronto man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault, and gun-related charges after a high‑profile abduction that unfolded over three days in December 2022.
The victim, Aiden Pleterski, a self‑styled cryptocurrency entrepreneur, was seized on Ordnance Street and transported in a Dodge Ram to a field where the accused demanded his crypto credentials.
When Pleterski failed to provide the requested information, the kidnappers struck him with firearms, bound his wrists, and covered his head with a garbage bag, forcing him to reveal the location of his assets.
During the ordeal, the suspect allegedly used a cigarette to burn the victim, removed pieces of flesh from his knee, and subjected him to two rounds of waterboarding, claiming the victim would lose consciousness.
A video recorded at a Pickering apartment shows Pleterski forced to repeat statements that appeared to be confessions of theft, while the kidnappers threatened his family if he did not produce the money.
After moving the victim to several locations—including London, St. Catherines, and Niagara—the accused released Pleterski at a hotel, instructing him to recover the funds.
The defendant, identified as Deren Akyeam‑Pong, was arrested in April 2023 at a restaurant after law enforcement seized a loaded semi‑automatic handgun and $15,000 in cash.
He has claimed ongoing abuse while awaiting trial, citing injuries from guards and inmates that left him with a concussion, broken bones, and missing teeth.
Pleterski is slated to face a separate trial on $40 million fraud charges later this year, while the kidnapping case proceeds to sentencing hearings.
The kidnapping was reportedly contracted by an investor who had lost $300,000 after Pleterski’s alleged cryptocurrency scheme collapsed, prompting the suspect to take matters into his own hands.
