Real estate developer testifies he gave 'Crypto King’ Aiden Pleterski $4.5M to invest

One of the self-described "Crypto King's" largest investors testified Wednesday about how Aiden Pleterski was touted as the "next big thing" and that he'd heard about others getting paid returns before he began investing thousands and later millions of dollars with him.

Real estate developer Sacha Singh, who testified virtually at Pleterski's fraud trial in Toronto, said he first met the now-27-year-old at a restaurant in Pickering, Ont., in the spring of 2021.

"I know a lot of big entrepreneurs in the crypto space are younger kids," Singh told the jury in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Singh signed a contract for his first investment of $10,000 cash that April. From there, the court was shown 22 more investment contracts between Singh and Pleterski totalling more than $4.5 million over the next 10 months.

Wire transfer receipts were shown for most of the contracts, which ranged from $10,000 to $1.3 million, but a few others included notes they were paid in cash.

Pleterski is representing himself at his fraud and money laundering trial before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. (Aiden Pleterski/Instagram/Durham Regional Police)

That's the most money any of the 11 investors who've been called as Crown witnesses, so far, have said they gave him to trade on their behalf. Combined, the other 10 testified they provided Pleterski with roughly $2.3 million. Most have said they never got any of their money back.

Pleterski is representing himself at trial and has pleaded not guilty to fraud over $5,000 and money laundering.

The Crown is alleging Pleterski guaranteed the money his investors gave him for trading, but never actually invested the funds. Instead, the Crown argues Pleterski spent the money on himself, including on exotic cars, flights on private jets, lavish shopping and credit card bills that ran into the millions.

Singh was introduced to Pleterski by another investor, Akil Heywood. Like many investors who've testified in the case, Singh said Pleterski would message him his weekly percentage gains from Pleterski's trading in foreign exchange and cryptocurrency.

Singh, left, testified that another investor, Akil Heywood, right, introduced him to Pleterski. (Atlantic Mas Toronto/Facebook)

Singh kept a spreadsheet of those returns, which was shown in court. By March 2022, his calculations on the weekly gains, which ranged from three to nearly 11 per cent, showed his investment had grown to more than $26 million.

Though he never received those returns — nor most of what he invested — Singh is one of the few investors who says he did receive some money back from Pleterski.

‘Crypto King’ investors testify they gave Aiden Pleterski a total $1.9M as trial continues