Nikolas Kerest U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont announced that a federal grand jury has indicted 25 Canadian nationals in connection with a "Grandparent Scam" targeting elderly individuals across more than 40 states. The indictment was unsealed on March 4, 2025.
The accused are Gareth West (38), Usman Khalid (36), Andrew Tatto (43), Stephan Moskwyn (42), Ricky Ylimaki (31), Richard Frischman (31), Adam Lawrence (41), Michael Filion (45), Jimmy Ylimaki (35), Nicolas Gonzalez (27), Ryan Melanson (27), Joy Kalafatidis (31), David Arcobelli (36), Jonathan Massouras (35), Nicholas Shiomi (42), Antonio Iannacci (33), Jonathan Ouellet (29), Kassey-Lee Lankford (28), Sara Burns (31), Justin Polenz (34), Ryan Thibert (37), Michael Farella (29) Sebastian Guenole, and Ryan Bridgman. Stephanie-Marie Samaras is also among those charged. All but two were arrested in Canada on March 4, while West and Jimmy Ylimaki remain at large.
The scam involved phone calls made from call centers near Montreal, where callers impersonated relatives of the victims to solicit bail money under false pretenses. Some posed as attorneys to further deceive victims into paying funds supposedly needed for bail following fabricated arrests. According to the indictment, this scheme defrauded elderly Americans out of over $21 million.
In June 2024, during searches at various call centers in Canada, many defendants were caught contacting potential victims in Virginia. It is alleged that West, Khalid, Tatto, Moskwyn, and Ricky Ylimaki managed these operations and conspired to commit money laundering.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher acknowledged the extensive investigatory work by Vermont-based agents from Homeland Security Investigations and other agencies: “While the transnational criminal conspiracy described in the Indictment preyed on vulnerable victims throughout the United States... we recognize the extensive investigative assistance provided by Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations emphasized international collaboration: “These individuals are accused of an elaborate scheme using fear to extort millions... Today’s arrests are the result of domestic collaboration as well as our critical international partnerships with our colleagues in Canada."
Thomas Demeo from IRS Criminal Investigation added: “West and his associates led a transnational criminal enterprise with the sole intent of defrauding hundreds of retirees... IRS-CI is committed to continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners."
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nate Burris and Michelle Arra are prosecuting this case under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces initiative.
Victims or those aware of elder fraud can contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 for support.
