On Monday, September 28, 2026, CBC Toronto reported that Aiden Pleterski, the self-described “Crypto King,” will act as his own lawyer at his fraud and money laundering trial after an Ontario judge refused to postpone the proceedings.
Justice Shaun Nakatsuru of the Ontario Superior Court rejected an adjournment application on Monday. Pleterski, 27, had sought more time to hire a lawyer. The judge did not give reasons for his decision. The jury trial is set to begin Monday, October. 5, in Toronto.
Speaking to Pleterski in court, Nakatsuru said he would receive a fair trial even though self-representation was not his first choice. The judge urged him to stand and ask questions whenever he was unsure. Nakatsuru said he would take on an “enhanced role” during the trial, including making objections on Pleterski’s behalf so the jury hears only admissible evidence.
Durham Regional Police charged Pleterski in May 2024 with fraud over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime. The charges stem from an alleged multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme. None of the allegations have been tested at trial.
Earlier this month, Pleterski hired lawyer Marco Sciarra to bring the adjournment motion. Sciarra told the court his client had been working to secure the money needed to retain trial counsel. He said extended family members were willing to sell assets to fund a lawyer if the trial were delayed. The relatives’ names and details of the assets were not provided to the court.
Crown attorney Scott Patterson opposed the request. He argued that Pleterski had not been honest and genuine in his efforts to obtain a lawyer.
Dates for the four-week trial were set in June 2025.
CBC Toronto has reported on Pleterski since the summer of 2022, when some of his investors forced him into bankruptcy. They were trying to recover $40 million they had given him to invest in cryptocurrency and foreign exchange. The bankruptcy proceeding recovered about $3 million for roughly 160 investors.
Source: CBC Toronto
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