Aiden Pleterski’s self-proclaimed investor, Akil Heywood, who is facing trial for allegedly orchestrating Pleterski’s kidnapping, has been slapped with an additional twelve charges. Among these charges is an accusation of interfering in a co-accused’s legal proceedings. Heywood, aged 42, invested a significant sum with Pleterski and was recently charged with attempting to obstruct Deren Akyeam-Pong, who had admitted guilt in the kidnapping case, from providing testimony on November 3, 2025.
This particular date coincided with an Ontario Superior Court judge lifting a temporary ban on disclosing facts tied to Akyeam-Pong’s confession in Pleterski’s 2022 abduction. Akyeam-Pong, who pleaded guilty to nine counts including kidnapping, assault, and firearm offenses in October 2025, refrained from commenting on the new charge against Heywood through his legal representative.
Heywood is also facing other recent charges related to his alleged involvement in a street racing incident in Scarborough last month, resulting in injuries to four individuals, including an infant. According to Toronto police, Heywood was racing a Mercedes in a green Lamborghini SUV when the Mercedes lost control, colliding with a truck. Charges against Heywood include dangerous driving causing bodily harm, leaving the scene of an accident, and engaging in stunt racing.
Heywood was arrested in July 2023 for Pleterski’s kidnapping but was later released on bail. None of the charges against him have been tried in court yet. His trial, along with two other co-accused, for the kidnapping and attempted extortion of Pleterski is scheduled for November.
Despite Heywood’s lawyer, Domenic Basile, declining to comment on the matter, Heywood has maintained his innocence in relation to the kidnapping allegations. Pleterski, also known as the “Crypto King,” was subjected to a harrowing three-day kidnapping ordeal starting on December 5, 2022. The abduction, allegedly orchestrated by Heywood, involved Pleterski being threatened at gunpoint and tortured with waterboarding, cigarette burns, and beatings with golf clubs before being released in downtown Toronto.
Pleterski, who faced financial troubles and bankruptcy due to investor actions, was arrested in 2024 for fraud and money laundering related to funds received from investors. His trial is scheduled for October in Toronto.