Canadian crypto entrepreneur Aiden Pleterski will represent himself at his fraud trial with judicial assistance on procedural objections.
Regulation & Gov ·
Aiden Pleterski, a 27-year-old Canadian crypto entrepreneur, will defend himself in a jury trial beginning Monday after an Ontario Superior Court judge rejected his bid to postpone proceedings so he could retain counsel. Pleterski is facing charges of fraud exceeding $5,000 and money laundering following a joint inquiry by Durham Regional Police and the Ontario Securities Commission. The trial is scheduled to run four weeks with fixed dates set in June 2025.
To mitigate risks to trial fairness, Justice Shaun Nakatsuru outlined an expanded judicial role in which he will intervene to lodge procedural objections on Pleterski's behalf, ensuring inadmissible evidence does not reach jurors. Pleterski had sought a delay, claiming he was attempting to fundraise for legal representation and that extended family members were prepared to liquidate assets if granted additional time. The Crown countered that such efforts lacked credibility given Pleterski's inability to specify either the relatives or assets involved.
The charges stem from Pleterski's handling of approximately $40 million in investor funds designated for cryptocurrency and foreign exchange trading. Bankruptcy proceedings initiated in summer 2022 by those investors recovered roughly $3 million across about 160 claimants. A trustee investigation determined Pleterski invested less than 2 percent of the capital while spending nearly $16 million on personal expenses—a finding he disputes.