The body of Kevin Mirshahi, a 25-year-old cryptocurrency influencer who had been missing since June, was found dead.

Mirshahi’s body was discovered in Montreal’s Île-de-la-Visitation Park, as confirmed by the Sûreté du Québec, according to the Montreal Gazette. 

A passerby came across his decomposing body, prompting an investigation that identified him through an autopsy.

The case, which marks Montreal’s 32nd homicide of 2024, has highlighted a concerning pattern of violence within the crypto community, raising questions about the safety of high-profile figures in the sector.

Timeline of Mirshahi’s disappearance and death

Mirshahi’s disappearance occurred on June 21. Early that morning, he and three others were allegedly abducted from a condo building in Old Montreal.

Montreal police were alerted after receiving a 911 call about a disturbance at a residence near de la Commune and St-Hubert Streets, according to The Gazette.

While the three other abductees were quickly located, Mirshahi remained missing, prompting police to escalate the investigation to the SQ.

During the initial investigation, police identified Joanie Lepage, a 32-year-old woman from Les Cèdres, Quebec, as a suspect, per The Gazette.

In August, she was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and involvement in Mirshahi’s abduction. Authorities allege that Lepage played a role in concealing Mirshahi’s death, though investigations are ongoing to determine if other suspects may have been involved.

Mirshahi’s background in crypto 

Mirshahi was a prominent figure in Montreal’s cryptocurrency scene, primarily due to his management of a private investment firm called “Crypto Paradise Island,” per The Gazette.

His activities in the crypto space attracted public and regulatory scrutiny, particularly from Quebec’s investment authority, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.

The AMF placed restrictions on Mirshahi in 2021, barring him and two associates from acting as investment advisers or conducting securities transactions. Two weeks after his disappearance, this ban was reinforced in July 2024, limiting his online activities and requiring him to cease promoting related content on social media.

This case isn’t the first crypto-related crime that happened in Canada this month. On Nov. 6, Toronto police investigated the kidnapping of WonderFi CEO Dean Skurka, who was abducted in downtown Toronto and released after a $1 million ransom was paid electronically.

Venture Capitalist Nic Carter criticizes Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari for his remarks on how crypto is “almost never” used outside of illicit activity, even though the data tells a different story.

In an X post on Oct. 22, Nic Carter wrote “being this wrong should be illegal” in response to Neel Kashkari’s remarks about cryptocurrency being mostly used for illegal activities. He viewed Kashkari’s comments as unfortunate, as he is one of the top ten most important financial regulators on the planet.

Carter followed up his post by linking several data sources that disprove Kashkari’s assumption, including a report from blockchain data firm Chainalysis that found only 0.34% of all crypto transactions in 2023 had connections to illegal activity.

The report revealed that illicit transactions in crypto peaked in 2019 at just 1.29%.

At a Wisconsin Town Hall event hosted by the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 21, Minneapolis Fed President, Neel Kashkari, claimed that “very few transactions were actually happening” in crypto.

“They’re not paying for goods and services using crypto. It almost never happens unless people are buying drugs or other illegal activities,” said Kashkari.

An Indian national has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of stealing more than $20 million in a crypto fraud scheme involving fake crypto websites.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Chirag Tomar, a 31-year-old Indian citizen, to 60 months in prison, the U.S. Justice Department announced. Tomar will also serve two years of supervised release following his sentence.

His sentencing is the latest conviction in a series of similar fraud schemes.

Crypto fraud via spoofed website

According to Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Tomar stole over $20 million from hundreds of people by duping them into using fake or “spoofed” websites. The scheme dates back to June 2021.

The prosecution stated that Tomar and co-conspirators targeted victims across the world and in the United States, by spoofing U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase.

Spoofing is a cybercrime where a malicious actor uses disguise to convince victims into thinking they are using an official or trusted – when in fact it’s a fake one. In this case, Tomar and others used a fake URL of Coinbase’s crypto exchange site “Pro.Coinbase.Com”. They used the URL CoinbasePro.Com, complete with a fraudulent website that unsuspecting victims unknowingly allowed the cyber criminals to access their authentication details on Coinbase.

Using remote desktop software, the fraudsters stole from victims, with some cases involving impersonation of Coinbase customer support staff.

Court documents reveal that a North Carolina crypto user lost more than $240,000 in February 2022.

Tomar, who used the stolen funds to buy luxury vehicles and finance lavish trips to Dubai and other locations, was arrested in December 2023. He pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud conspiracy in May 2024.

Earlier this week, a court in the U.S. sentenced a 46-year old man to 20 years in prison over crypto fraud.

Meanwhile, a German man facing a $150 million crypto fraud case in New York is on the run after skipping a hearing.