What the jury didn't hear at 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski’s fraud trial

Self-described 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski requested a mistrial on Monday morning because he said he wasn't receiving a fair trial without a lawyer representing him.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru denied Pleterski's request and gave his full decision on the matter Thursday morning after the jury at Pleterski's Toronto fraud trial began deliberations.

"I'm still confident if Mr. Pleterski had chosen to do so he would have been able to make full defence," Nakatsuru said in his ruling.

"Nothing I have seen at this trial has changed my view on that ... he has not brought a computer or a tablet, he has not brought any Crown disclosure…. He has not made a single note that I have seen … I'm not even sure he was paying attention to the witnesses."

Pleterski is accused of fraud over $5,000. Prosecutors allege the 27-year-old took more than $36 million from investors for trading, but never put a cent of it into the trading platform on their contracts. Instead, the Crown provided financial records at trial showing Pleterski spent $16.3 million of it on himself and gave another $16.1 million back to investors as returns.

At the end of the Crown's case, they dropped a second charge of money laundering against the Pleterski.

Crown prosecutor Akshay Aurora delivered a roughly 90-minute closing statement at Pleterski's fraud trial on Wednesday. (Pam Davies/CBC)

During his trial this month, the mistrial request was one of roughly two dozen instances in which Pleterski claimed he didn't know what he was doing, didn't know what to ask, didn't have the expertise to defend himself or needed a lawyer.

Some of those remarks were made in front of the jury, but many were not. 

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Conversations about these comments, Pleterski's limited participation in his own trial and Nakatsuru's belief that Pleterski was capable of mounting a defence if he so chose make up a significant portion of what the jury didn't hear in court. These details can now be reported because the jury is sequestered as they consider their verdict.

Not participating 'for tactical reasons'

"You have decided essentially not to participate in this trial. It has become clear to me that it is being done for tactical reasons, Mr. Pleterski," Nakatsuru said on the third day of the trial, adding that he thought the reason was to bolster the success of an appeal. 

"You don't know the meaning of 'cul de sac' or 'I heard it through the grapevine.' This is your trial, these are the choices you are making … I am not a fool."

Ontario Superior Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru is presiding over the trial of Pleterski. (Pam Davies/CBC)

Nakatsuru then encouraged Pleterski to participate in his trial. 

By that point, the Crown had already called several investor witnesses but Pleterski only cross-examined the first. From then on, Pleterski declined to ask the others questions, instead saying "I need a lawyer" or that "I don't know what to ask." 

Otherwise, Pleterski only spoke up during testimony to ask what "cul de sac" and "heard it through the grapevine" meant. He later told the judge he'd never heard the terms before and thought many other people his age hadn't heard them either.

"I am being genuine when I say I don't know what I'm doing and I need a lawyer," Pleterski told the judge on the third day, without the jury present. 

"I sounded like an idiot up there," he added, referencing his sole cross-examination.

'Months to prepare your defence'

A day earlier, Nakatsuru had cut Pleterski off when he stood up and said he needed a lawyer in response to whether he had any questions for the Crown's second witness. The jury was sent out of the courtroom and the judge told Pleterski there were "appropriate avenues" for him if he didn't agree with Nakatsuru's decision to deny Pleterski an adjournment the week before trial.

However, the judge said he would not allow Pleterski to say "I need a lawyer" in front of the jury.

"You've had months, months, to prepare your defence," said Nakatsuru. 

"The fact that you're here without a lawyer is not a surprise … you were told about it months and months ago."

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Pleterski's Oct. 5 trial date was set, with or without counsel, in June 2025.

A year later, the Crown told the court they had been coming back for appearances since November 2025 regarding Pleterski retaining a lawyer — with no movement. 

CBC News attended court appearances scheduled to see if Pleterski had retained counsel in May, June, July and September, but each time, he had not. By late September, Pleterski did retain counsel to argue his motion for adjournment so he could have more time to hire a lawyer. 

Pleterski denied more time

In submissions for the adjournment, the lawyer Pleterski hired for the motion argued his client had been making efforts to secure the funds to retain a lawyer for trial.

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If the adjournment was granted, the lawyer argued, Pleterski's extended family members were willing to liquidate assets to help him cover the cost. However, the names of those family members and details on the assets were not provided to the court.

Nakatsuru denied that motion the same day it was heard.

WATCH | Court hears audio recording of self-described 'Crypto King':

'Crypto King' admits $300M account never existed in audio recording played at trial

October 26|

Duration

2:24

Despite the judge's instruction for Pleterski not to say he needed a lawyer in front of the jury, and later not to say he didn't know what to ask witnesses — Pleterski continued to make these comments on and off throughout the trial when given the opportunity for cross-examination.

Delay for the dentist

At the beginning of the trial's third week, Pleterski told Nakatsuru that he was in "excruciating pain" because of an issue with one of his teeth and asked to adjourn for the day, after the forensic accountant finished his testimony, so he could go to the dentist. 

Nakatsuru granted the request. 

Pleterski addressed the jury for the first time at his fraud trial in Toronto, giving a brief closing statement on Wednesday. (Pam Davies/CBC)

The next day, Oct. 20, Pleterski told the court he was "barely able to get through the night" due to the pain and asked the judge to adjourn court until this Monday, as Pleterski said he had an appointment to have his tooth extracted Friday.

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Initially, Nakatsuru wanted to get through the Crown's final witness, investor Chris Winn, that day, saying Pleterski was "only on Tylenol." But Pleterski was insistent. 

"I don't see how I can get through today, I can barely get through just sitting at home doing nothing," he told the court. 

Nakatsuru changed his mind and adjourned the trial until this Monday, telling the jury it was due to a medical issue. 

Before requesting a mistrial Monday morning, Pleterski told Nakatsuru his dentist rescheduled his appointment to extract the tooth until that afternoon, so he hadn't had the procedure yet. 

'The world doesn't revolve around you'

Pleterski asked to end court early so he could go to the appointment. Nakatsuru denied the request, stating that they were going to hear all of Winn's testimony that day. 

Before lunch Monday, Pleterski tried asking again. 

"It just doesn't make sense Mr. Pleterski that we should already, or further, inconvenience the jury because of your dental appointment," said Nakatsuru. "It's a cracked tooth."

Pleterski replied: "It's a hole in my mouth." 

"We're going to finish this trial this week," said Nakatsuru. "Let me point this out again Mr. Pleterski, the world doesn't revolve around you."

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Pleterski chose not to call any evidence or testify himself, despite encouragement to consider doing so from the judge. On Tuesday, Nakatsuru tried once again. 

The judge told Pleterski that making a closing statement would give him an opportunity to make arguments in his defence, telling Pleterski he knew he was "well-spoken" and could "be persuasive" based on a recording of a meeting Pleterski had with investors heard at trial.

Pleterski did end up giving a brief closing statement on Wednesday.

"I am the least qualified person here to give a closing statement," said Pleterski, addressing the jury for the first time.

"However, that being said, I am innocent of these charges. That is why I pled not guilty. Had I not been forced to represent myself, that would have been proven. That's all I have to say."