Canadian Oklahoma City Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is trying to reverse his $8.4 million purchase of a mansion in Burlington, Ontario.
According to the National Post, the 25-year-old athlete filed a lawsuit claiming the sellers fraudulently failed to disclose the home’s history.
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The property was previously owned by Aiden Pleterski, who defrauded investors of more than $40 million by promising them a high return on their investment in the cryptocurrency market. The 24-year-old’s bankruptcy proceedings revealed that he ultimately only invested a small portion of the funds he received and spent the rest living a life of luxury.
Pleterski was subsequently kidnapped, beaten and held for ransom for several days while some investors tried to recoup their losses. The incident led to charges against five men.
After arriving, Gilgeous-Alexander was visited by a stranger looking for Pleterski. He was the fourth person to enter the apartment since the scammer left.
In his lawsuit, the basketball player claims he would not have bought the mansion if he had known the full story. He stated that it was the police who found out about it from his wife when she contacted the authorities to report the presence of the unwanted visitor. Gilgeous-Alexander reportedly left the house a few days after moving in.
The sellers deny misrepresentations and claim there is no obligation to disclose these visits because they did not make the home unsuitable or dangerous.