25 Canadian nationals connected to nationwide multi-million dollar “grandparent scam” charged in Vermont

Burlington, Vt. – Canadian law enforcement provisionally arrested 23 Canadian nationals March 4 after they were indicted by a federal grand jury in Vermont for participation in a “grandparent scam” uncovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The scam allegedly defrauded elderly individuals in more than 40 states of over $21 million.

According to the indictment returned by the grand jury Feb. 20 and unsealed on March 4, between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, the defendants engaged in a “grandparent scam” involving phone calls made from call centers in and around Montreal, Québec. During these phone calls, defendants falsely claimed to be an elderly victim’s relative, typically a grandchild, who had been arrested following a car crash and needed money for “bail.” Other defendants posed as an “attorney” representing the elderly victim’s relative. Elderly victims were often told that there was a “gag order” in place to prevent the elderly victim from telling anyone about their family member’s supposed arrest. Elderly victims were convinced to provide bail money to an individual falsely posing as a bail bondsman, who would come to the elderly victim’s home to collect the money. This money was later transmitted to Canada following cash deliveries and financial transactions, sometimes involving cryptocurrency, which, the indictment alleges, obscured the source of the money and the identities of defendants.

When Canadian law enforcement executed search warrants on June 4, 2024, at several call centers, many of the defendants were found in the act of placing phone calls to elderly victims in Virginia. The Indictment alleges the call centers were managed by Gareth West, Usman Khalid, Andrew Tatto, Stephan Moskwyn, and Ricky Ylimaki, and also charges these five defendants with conspiring to commit money laundering. The conspiracy defrauded elderly Americans out of more than $21 million.

“These individuals are accused of an elaborate scheme using fear to extort millions of dollars from victims who believed they were helping loved ones in trouble. Today’s arrests are the result of domestic collaboration as well as our critical international partnerships with our colleagues in Canada, Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Tackling transnational crime is one of our greatest priorities and we’re working hand-in-hand with our neighbors to dismantle organized criminal groups that threaten our safety and security,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge New England Michael J. Krol.

“Today’s operation is an excellent example of ICE Canada’s partnership with the Sûreté du Québec and resulted in the disruption of a significant transnational criminal organization. We will continue to partner with the SQ, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement agencies to identify and dismantle criminal organizations operating throughout North America and abroad that exploit our shared border and vulnerable population for illicit gain,” said ICE HSI Attaché for Ottawa Magdalena Sigur.

“The transnational criminal conspiracy described in the Indictment preyed on vulnerable Americans throughout the United States,” observed Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher. “These charges reflect the painstaking investigatory work of the Vermont-based agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Review Service-Criminal Investigations. In addition, we recognize the extensive investigative assistance provided by Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”

“Today’s arrest of Gareth West and his co-conspirators demonstrates IRS-CI’s commitment to protecting the American people from bad actors, no matter where they are hiding.” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “West and his associates lead a transnational criminal enterprise with the sole intent of defrauding hundreds of retirees of their life savings by preying on their emotions and deceiving them into thinking that their loved ones were in peril. IRS-CI is committed to continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners, both at home and abroad, to stop and deter anyone who seeks to profit off the hard work of U.S. citizens.”

“For the Quebec Provincial Police and Homeland Security Investigations, transnational criminal organizations are a significant concern that requires close collaboration. Criminal networks operate beyond borders; thus, it is crucial to have strong partnerships among law enforcement. Today’s arrests highlight the efficiency of our joint efforts, demonstrating that our cooperation delivers concrete results in enhancing public safety on both sides of the border,” said Chief Inspector Michel Patenaude

An indictment contains only allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

West, Khalid, Tatto, Moskwyn and Ricky Ylimaki face up to 40 years of imprisonment if convicted, and the remaining defendants face up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted.

The investigation was led by ICE and IRS-CI with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Quebec Provincial Police (Sûreté du Québec) in Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted the provisional arrests in Canada. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs as well as the International Assistance Group at Justice Canada. This case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

More information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

Individuals charged in the indictment:

• Gareth West, a.k.a. “Buddy” and “Muscles,” (38 – Burlington, Ontario)
• Usman Khalid, a.k.a. “Paul” and “Pauly,” (36 – Les Coteaux, Québec)
• Andrew Tatto, a.k.a. “Chevy” and “Truck,” (43 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Stephan Moskwyn, a.k.a. “HK,” (42 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Ricky Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Ruffles,” (31 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec)
• Richard Frischman, a.k.a. “Styx,” (31 – Montréal, Québec)
• Adam Lawrence, a.k.a. “Carter,” (41 – Lasalle, Québec)
• Michael Filion, a.k.a. “Elvis,” (45 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Jimmy Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Coop,” (35 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Québec)
• Nicolas Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Brady,” (27 – Kirkland, Québec)
• Ryan Melanson, a.k.a. “Parker,” (27 – Montréal, Québec)
• Joy Kalafatidis, a.k.a. “Blondie,” (31 – Pointe-Claire, Québec)
• David Arcobelli, a.k.a. “Phil,” (36 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Jonathan Massouras, a.k.a. “Borze,” (35 – Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Québec)
• Nicholas Shiomi, a.k.a. “Keanu,” (42 – Montréal, Québec)
• Antonio Iannacci, a.k.a. “DJ,” (33 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Jonathan Ouellet, a.k.a. “Sunny,” (29 – Saint-Eustache, Québec)
• Kassey-Lee Lankford, a.k.a. “Lex,” (28 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec)
• Sara Burns, a.k.a. “Ginger,” (31 – Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Québec)
• Justin Polenz, a.k.a. “Happy,” (34 – Montréal, Québec)
• Ryan Thibert, a.k.a. “Toast,” (37 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec)
• Michael Farella, a.k.a. “Honda,” (29 – Sainte-Geneviève, Québec)
• Sebastian Guenole, a.k.a. “Tweeter,” (30 – Pierrefonds, Québec)
• Ryan Bridgman, a.k.a. “Clint,” (37 – Deux-Montagnes, Québec)
• Stephanie-Marie Samaras, a.k.a. “North” (29 – Laval, Québec)

All but two of the above-named individuals were arrested in Canada on March 4. West and Jimmy Ylimaki remain at large.

An additional nine individuals have previously been charged in the District of Vermont in connection with this grandparent scam, including Otmane Khalladi (32 – Miami, Florida), Jean Richard Audate (39 – New York, New York), Philippe Alvarez (34 – Montréal, Québec), Paul Conneh (37 – Guangzhou, China), Dave Leblanc (37 – Greenacres, Florida), Zavier Buchanan (27 – Wellington, Florida), William Comfort (29 – Los Angeles, California), Alejandro Garcia (34 – Miami, Florida), and Enmanuel Castillo (31 – Miami, Florida).

If you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline (833-FRAUD-11). This hotline is a free resource created by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime for people to report fraud against anyone age 60 or older.