Quebec provincial police say two more arrests were made Tuesday in connection with the death of a cryptocurrency influencer who was kidnapped from his Old Montreal condo earlier this year.
The latest development comes after Kevin Mirshahi’s remains were formally identified last week by authorities. His body was discovered on Oct. 30 at Montreal’s Parc de l’Île-de-la-Visitation.
Police say Darius Perry, 27, and Nackael Hickey, 26, were arrested and expected to appear at the Valleyfield courthouse Tuesday. They are both facing charges of accessory after the fact to the murder of Mirshahi and forcible confinement of three other people.
Mirshahi, 25, had been missing since he and three other people in their 20s were kidnapped from the parking garage of his condo building on June 21. Three of the abductees — two women and a man — were found alive the following day in western Montreal, but Mirshahi remained missing.
By August, investigators had concluded Mirshahi had been killed. Police arrested Joanie Lepage, 32, of Les Cèdres, 45 kilometres southwest of Montreal.
Lepage was charged with first-degree murder, forcible confinement and accessory after the fact to murder on Aug. 22. She is expected back in court in December.
Quebec’s financial regulator had been investigating Mirshahi. In 2021, the Autorité des marchés financiers sought an order against him, two other individuals and a company, forbidding any activities or transactions covered by the provincial Securities Act.
An administrative tribunal’s subsequent ruling included “bans on engaging in any activities as investment dealers or advisers,” including social media promotion in connection with a specific type of cryptocurrency. Mirshahi owned and operated a private, paid Telegram group called Crypto Paradise Island, according to ruling documents. In July, the regulator sought and obtained another extension of that order.
There have been three arrests to date in the case, but the investigation is ongoing. Police say anyone with information can contact them confidentially at 1-800-659-4264.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Global’s Julie Turcotte