powered by:
valneva canada inc.
sq arrests suspect in kidnapping and death of montreal cryptocurrency influencer
a 32-year-old woman was arrested thursday, and also faces charges related to the kidnapping of three others.
aug 22 2024
2 minute read
paul chiasson
/
the canadian press files
a 32-year-old woman was arrested thursday as a suspect in the kidnapping and death of kevin mirshahi, a cryptocurrency influencer who was abducted from old montreal, along with three other people, earlier this summer.
in a statement, the sûreté du québec said the woman, a resident of les cèdres, was arrested “in connection with the kidnapping and forcible confinement of four people, which occurred on june 21. the victims were kidnapped from an apartment building on de la commune st. in montreal. the suspect faces, among other things, charges alleging the first-degree murder of kevin mirshahi and kidnapping.”
an arrest warrant made public at the valleyfield courthouse alleges joanie lepage killed mirshahi on june 21, the day he was abducted. she is also alleged to have kidnapped mirshahi and to have acted as an accomplice after he was killed.
another charge alleges she held three other people against their will on june 21 and 22.
the montreal police learned of the kidnapping on june 21, at around 4 a.m., after a 911 call reported a conflict near de la commune and st-hubert sts.
the three other people who were kidnapped were located hours later, but mirshahi was not immediately found and the montreal police eventually transferred the investigation to the sq.
advertisement
advertisement
mirshahi was the subject of a lengthy investigation by the autorité des marchés financiers, quebec’s investment regulator. the probe began in 2021 and on july 4, 2024, a decision was made extending blocking orders, related to mirshahi, a company and two other individuals, that placed a “ban on carrying out any activity as a broker or investment adviser, ban on securities transactions and orders for the withdrawal of publications on social media and the withdrawal of the name of the amf.”
one of the decisions made by the amf’s tribunal related to the case describes mirshahi as the owner and operator of a private group called crypto paradise island.
“the amf is investigating the activities of (mirshahi) on the financial markets, including the placement of investment contracts without registration and without a prospectus,” the tribunal wrote in a decision made in 2021.
share story
