Authorities have confirmed that the body of Kevin Mirshahi, a cryptocurrency influencer abducted in June, has been found in Montreal. A passerby discovered Mirshahi’s remains in Île-de-la-Visitation Park, located in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville district, on October 30.
Mirshahi’s death has added to Montreal’s rising homicide count, bringing the city to its 32nd case this year.
Kevin Mirshahi’s Abduction and Murder
As reported by The Gazette, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) announced on Tuesday that the remains, which were decomposing, were identified through an autopsy.
The 31-year-old was last seen on June 21st after he was kidnapped along with three others from a condominium in Old Montreal. Police were initially alerted to the incident following a 911 call reporting a conflict in the area of de la Commune and St-Hubert streets. The three other captives managed to flee and were located within hours.
Mirshahi, however, remained unlocated, and his high-profile disappearance gained public interest due to his role in the cryptocurrency space and as the owner of Crypto Paradise Island, a private investment firm he founded.
The group became entangled in a pump-and-dump scheme involving a cryptocurrency called Marsan (MRS). It was launched by Antoine Marsan and Bastien Francoeur of Marsan Exchange on April 14, 2021, and was promoted by Mirshahi in exchange for payment in Marsan tokens. After reaching a peak value, the coin’s price plummeted by over 92% just four days later, leaving over 2,000 young investors with massive losses.
It was then that the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) in Quebec initiated an investigation against Mirshahi and his company. As part of it, Mirshahi faced a ban on acting as a broker or investment adviser, on securities transactions, and on publishing related content.
The ban, extended on July 4, 2024, also required him to remove certain social media posts. However, reports from Le Journal de Montréal suggest he ignored it and kept running a Telegram group called “Amir” promoting crypto investments.
The latest development comes three months after Canadian authorities arrested a 32-year-old woman, Joanie Lepage, who is believed to be involved in the kidnappings and the death of Mirshahi.
Rising Crypto Crime
The abduction and murder of cryptocurrency influencer Mirshahi is part of a disturbing trend of targeted violence against crypto executives and influencers. Recently, Haichao Zhu, co-founder of Rooch Network, was robbed at knifepoint in Bangkok just before Ethereum’s Devcon conference.
This follows a pattern of similar incidents at major crypto events, including the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) in Brussels, where multiple violent confrontations occurred. One such attack saw Rishant Kumar of Kilt Protocol defend himself against an assailant.
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