The $300 Million Mirage: Mapping the Flow of Aiden Pleterski's Investor Funds

As CBC Toronto first reported, evidence presented in the Ontario Superior Court suggests the $300 million investment fund touted by Aiden Pleterski was a fabrication used to maintain investor confidence.

Pleterski, known as the "Crypto King," provided investors with screenshots and videos of an FXChoice trading account showing a balance exceeding $311 million. However, investor Mitchell Learning testified that after accessing Pleterski's computer at his Burlington mansion in June 2022, he found an email from FXChoice confirming the account had been deleted.

In a June 2022 audio recording played during the trial, Pleterski admitted to investors Brad Rogers and Jason Affleck that the $300 million fund "never existed."

A senior forensic accountant testified that $16.3 million of investor funds were spent on Pleterski's personal luxury, including private jets, luxury vehicles, security services, and credit card payments. Pleterski also admitted in the recording that he used new investor capital to pay back previous investors, stating he had refunded various amounts—including $1 million and $700,000—that were "taken in from investors."

Chris Winn, a retired Durham Regional Police officer who invested $450,000, testified he recovered $330,000. In the recording, Winn described the operation as "one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in f–king Ontario."

Pleterski, who is representing himself, has pleaded not guilty to money laundering and fraud over $5,000. He claimed in the recording he lacked "malicious intent," arguing that his decision to stay in Canada proved his desire to "make it right."