The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says they have arrested the alleged ringleader of the grandparent scam that defrauded American seniors of $21 million.
Gareth West, 38, was arrested on July 4 in St-Colomban, Que., in the Laurentians region, the police force confirmed in a statement sent to Global News.
Authorities say he did not resist arrest. He appeared in the Court of Quebec on Saturday and in Superior Court on Monday.
He is currently being held at the Rivière-des-Prairies detention facility, and “at the request of the Homeland Security Investigation, (West) should possibly be extradited to the United States,” the statement says.
West, who allegedly went by the nicknames “Buddy” or “Muscles,” was among 25 Canadians charged in the U.S. in connection with the massive, sophisticated scam that stole millions from elderly individuals in Vermont and more than 40 other states.
On a bio on his social media, West lists himself as a “founder & CEO of West Developments, Real Estate Builder & Health Enthusiast,” and includes a link to his “Journey of Self-Discovery” YouTube video.
According to the indictment, between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, he and the other 24 suspects engaged in the scam that involved calls where they pretended to be an elderly victim’s relative — most often a grandchild — claiming to have been arrested following a car crash and in need of bail money. The calls were made from call centres around Montreal.
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Authorities say others posed as lawyers representing the elderly victim’s relative and told them there was a gag order in place to prevent the senior from telling anyone about their family member’s supposed arrest.
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The victims were then convinced to hand over money to an individual who would visit their home, falsely posing as a bail bondsman. Authorities say the funds were then transferred to Canada by cash delivery and financial transactions, including cryptocurrency.
The indictment says the use of crypto obscured the source of the money and the identities of the suspects.
“On June 4, 2024, when law enforcement in Canada executed search warrants at several call centers, many of the defendants were found in the act of placing phone calls to elderly victims in Virginia,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in its statement.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging all 25 suspects for their alleged participation in the scam on Feb. 20.
Nearly all of the individuals were arrested in Canada, mostly in Montreal, on March 4. At the time, two remained at large, including West.
The indictment alleges the call centres were managed by West, a.k.a. “Buddy” or “Muscles,” 38, from Burlington, Ont., Usman Khalid, a.k.a. “Paul” and “Pauly,” 36, from Les Coteaux, Que., Andrew Tatto, a.k.a. “Chevy” and “Truck,” 43, from Pierrefonds, Que., Stephan Moskwyn, a.k.a. “HK,” 42, from Pierrefonds, Que., and Ricky Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Ruffles,” 31, from Île-Perrot, Que.
West and the four others were also charged with conspiring to commit money laundering.
They could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, and the remaining defendants could face up to 20 years. If found guilty, the actual sentences for each person would be determined by various sentencing factors.
List of the 25 Canadians charged
Gareth West, a.k.a. “Buddy” and “Muscles,” (38 – Burlington, Ont.)
Usman Khalid, a.k.a. “Paul” and “Pauly,” (36 – Les Coteaux, Que.)
Andrew Tatto, a.k.a. “Chevy” and “Truck,” (43 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Stephan Moskwyn, a.k.a. “HK,” (42 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Ricky Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Ruffles,” (31 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.)
Richard Frischman, a.k.a. “Styx,” (31 – Montreal)
Adam Lawrence, a.k.a. “Carter,” (41 – Lasalle, Que.)
Michael Filion, a.k.a. “Elvis,” (45 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Jimmy Ylimaki, a.k.a. “Coop,” (35 – Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., remains at large)
Nicolas Gonzalez, a.k.a. “Brady,” (27 – Kirkland, Que.)
Ryan Melanson, a.k.a. “Parker,” (27 – Montreal)
Joy Kalafatidis, a.k.a. “Blondie,” (31 – Pointe-Claire, Que.)
David Arcobelli, a.k.a. “Phil,” (36 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Jonathan Massouras, a.k.a. “Borze,” (35 – Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Que.)
Nicholas Shiomi, a.k.a. “Keanu,” (42 – Montreal)
Antonio Iannacci, a.k.a. “DJ,” (33 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Jonathan Ouellet, a.k.a. “Sunny,” (29 – Saint-Eustache, Que.)
Kassey-Lee Lankford, a.k.a. “Lex,” (28 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.)
Sara Burns, a.k.a. “Ginger,” (31 – Dollard-Des Ormeaux, Que.)
Justin Polenz, a.k.a. “Happy,” (34 – Montreal)
Ryan Thibert, a.k.a. “Toast,” (37 – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.)
Michael Farella, a.k.a. “Honda,” (29 – Sainte-Geneviève, Que.)
Sebastian Guenole, a.k.a. “Tweeter,” (30 – Pierrefonds, Que.)
Ryan Bridgman, a.k.a. “Clint,” (37 – Deux-Montagnes, Que.)
Stephanie-Marie Samaras, a.k.a. “North” (29 – Laval, Que.)
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