Akil Heywood, an investor of self-proclaimed “Crypto King” Aiden Pleterski, who is facing trial for allegedly orchestrating Pleterski’s kidnapping, has been slapped with a dozen additional charges. These include allegations of interfering in a co-accused individual’s case. Heywood, 42, invested substantial sums with Pleterski and was recently accused of trying to dissuade Deren Akyeam-Pong, who had pleaded guilty in the kidnapping case, from providing testimony in a legal proceeding on November 3, 2025.
On the same day that an Ontario Superior Court judge removed a temporary publication ban on the agreed statement of facts linked to Akyeam-Pong’s admission of guilt in Pleterski’s 2022 kidnapping, Heywood was charged. Akyeam-Pong admitted guilt to nine charges related to the kidnapping, including assault and firearm offenses in October 2025. Heywood faces several recent charges, including fleeing the scene of a street racing collision in Scarborough, where four individuals, including an infant, were injured.
Toronto police reported that Heywood was allegedly involved in a street race with a green Lamborghini SUV and a Mercedes, resulting in the Mercedes 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 Heywood have been proven in court, and his trial for the kidnapping and attempted extortion of Pleterski is slated for November alongside two other co-accused individuals.
Heywood’s lawyer, Domenic Basile, did not respond to requests for comment. Heywood has maintained his innocence regarding the kidnapping allegations. The kidnapping of Pleterski, orchestrated by Heywood, began on December 5, 2022, when Pleterski was abducted at gunpoint in Toronto. The abduction led to a three-day-long ordeal during which Pleterski was threatened, tortured, and driven to various locations across southern Ontario before being released in downtown Toronto.
The torture included waterboarding, cigarette burns, and beatings with golf clubs. Pleterski suffered severe injuries, including a head wound, during the kidnapping. Pleterski’s financial troubles emerged in 2022 when he faced bankruptcy due to investments gone awry, with over $40 million at stake. Heywood allegedly organized the kidnapping in an attempt to recoup what he believed he was owed. Pleterski was later arrested for fraud and money laundering related to investor funds, with charges pending trial in October in Toronto.