On March 4, 2025, 23 Canadian nationals were arrested for facilitating a “grandparent scam” between Summer 2021 and June 4, 2024, where
- The scammers would make fraudulent cold calls to elderly Americans falsely claiming that a relative of theirs, usually a grandchid, was arrested after a car crash.
- The victims will be asked to pay “bail money” and be told not to discuss the predicament with other family members due to a nonexistent “gag order.”
The scammers arrested are:
- Andrew Tatto - a 43-year-old kingpin from Pierrefonds, Quebec.
- Stephan Moskwyn - a 42-year-old kingpin from Pierrefonds, Quebec
- Ricky Ylimaki - a 31-year-old kingpin from Notre-Dame-de-l’ile-Perrot, Quebec.
- Usman Khalid - a 36-year-old kingpin from Les Coteaux, Quebec.
- Richard Frischman, a 31-year-old from Montreal, Quebec
- Adam Lawerence, a 41-year-old from Lasalle, Quebec
- Michael Filion, a 45-year-old from Pierrefonds, Quebec
- Nicolas Gonzalez, a 27-year-old from Kirkland, Quebec
- Ryan Melanson, a 27-year-old from Montreal, Quebec
- Joy Kalafatidis, a 31-year-old from Pointe-Claire, Quebec
- David Arcobelli, a 36-year-old from Pierrefonds, Quebec
- Jonathan Massouras, a 35-year-old from Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Quebec
- Nicholas Shioumi, a 42-year-old from Montreal, Quebec.
- Antonio Iannacci, a 33-year-old from Pierrefonds, Quebec
- Jonathen Ouelett, a 29-year-old from Saint-Eustache, Quebec
- Kassey-Lee Lankford, a 28-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec
- Sara Burns, a 31-year-old from Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Quebec
- Justin Polenz, a 34-year-old from Montreal, Quebec.
- Ryan Thibert, a 37-year-old from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec
- Michael Farella, a 29-year-old from Sainte-Genevieve, Quebec
- Sebastian Guenole, a 30-year-old from Pierrefonds, Quebec
- Ryan Bridgman, a 37-year-old from Deux-Montagnes, Quebec
- Stephanie-Marie Samaras, a 29-year-old from Laval, Quebec.
Two other individuals are at large:
- Gareth “Buddy/Muscles” West - a 38-year-old kingpin from Burlington, Ontario.
- Jimmy “Coop” Ylimaki, a 35-year-old from Notre-Dame-de-l’ile-Perrot, Quebec
All of the scammers face charges for conspiring to commit money laundering. The kingpins face a maximum of 40 years in prison and the remaining defendants face up to 20 years.