Akil Heywood charged with witness intimidation in Crypto King kidnapping case
The investor accused of orchestrating Aiden Pleterski's 2022 torture-kidnapping faces a dozen new offences, including attempting to dissuade a co-accused from testifying.
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Akil Heywood, the investor accused of orchestrating Aiden Pleterski's 2022 kidnapping, has been charged with attempting to dissuade a co-accused from giving evidence. Court records show Heywood was charged last month with the intimidation count on November 3, 2025 — the same day an Ontario Superior Court judge lifted a publication ban on the agreed statement of facts tied to Deren Akyeam-Pong's guilty plea.
Heywood, 42, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with Pleterski before his arrest in July 2023 for allegedly orchestrating the three-day abduction in December 2022. During that kidnapping, Pleterski was tortured with waterboarding, cigarette burns, and beatings with golf clubs as captors drove him between locations in southern Ontario before releasing him downtown Toronto. Akyeam-Pong pleaded guilty to nine charges in October 2025, including kidnapping, assault, and various gun charges.
Beyond the witness-intimidation charge, Heywood faces roughly a dozen additional offences. Some concern a street-racing crash in Scarborough last month that injured four people, including an infant. Toronto police say Heywood was in a green Lamborghini SUV racing a Mercedes when the Mercedes lost control and hit a truck. He was charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to stop at a crash scene, and stunt racing.
Heywood's trial for the kidnapping and attempted extortion of Pleterski is scheduled for November alongside two other accused. None of the charges against him have been tested in court. His lawyer, Domenic Basile, did not respond to requests for comment. Heywood previously said he is innocent in connection to the kidnapping.
Pleterski's case began in summer 2022 when he was forced into bankruptcy by some of his investors. At the time of his kidnapping, more than $40 million had been given to him to invest in cryptocurrency and foreign currencies. Only about $3 million has been recovered for roughly 160 investors through the bankruptcy, which determined that Pleterski spent $16 million on himself.
The facts
When was Akil Heywood charged with witness intimidation?
Akil Heywood was charged with attempting to dissuade a co-accused from giving evidence on November 3, 2025.
What happened to Aiden Pleterski during his kidnapping in December 2022?
During the three-day abduction in December 2022, Aiden Pleterski was tortured with waterboarding, cigarette burns, and beatings with golf clubs as captors drove him between locations in southern Ontario before releasing him downtown Toronto.
How much of the $40 million invested with Aiden Pleterski has been recovered?
Only about $3 million of the more than $40 million given to Aiden Pleterski to invest in cryptocurrency and foreign currencies has been recovered for roughly 160 investors through bankruptcy proceedings.
