Aiden Pleterski, the self-described “Crypto King,” will represent himself at his upcoming fraud and money laundering trial after an Ontario judge denied his request for more time to hire a lawyer.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru rejected the adjournment application on September 28. The four-week jury trial in Toronto is scheduled to begin the following week, with trial dates having been set in June 2025.

Pleterski, 27, was charged by Durham Regional Police in May 2024 with fraud over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme. The charges have not been proven in court.

Investors forced Pleterski into bankruptcy in 2022 while seeking to recover approximately $40 million they had provided for cryptocurrency and foreign exchange investments. The bankruptcy proceeding recovered about $3 million for roughly 160 investors.

Lawyer Marco Sciarra, retained to argue the adjournment application, told the court that Pleterski had been trying to secure funding for trial counsel. He said extended family members were willing to liquidate assets to help if a delay was granted, but their names and details of the assets were not provided. Crown attorney Scott Patterson challenged whether Pleterski’s efforts to obtain counsel had been honest and genuine.

Nakatsuru assured Pleterski that he would receive a fair trial and encouraged him to ask questions throughout the proceedings. The judge said he would take an enhanced role because Pleterski is self-represented, including making objections on his behalf to help ensure that only admissible evidence reaches the jury.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.