Six residents of Montreal who were involved in a scheme to defraud elderly Americans have admitted their guilt. The individuals, identified as David Anthony Di Rienzo, Tenaj Johnson, Carson Vaudry, Mason Pereira-Walker, Paul Letourneau, and Steven Petruzziello, confessed to charges of conspiracy and fraud during a court appearance. Court records indicate that they engaged in a telephone scam targeting U.S. seniors from 2019 to 2021, seeking a total of $1.5 million from approximately 1,700 victims. Law enforcement was able to intercept a significant portion of the funds before they reached the scammers.
Another individual, Joshua Sarroino, currently in custody for an unrelated murder charge, entered a plea of no contest, indicating acceptance of the conviction without admitting guilt. As part of their guilty pleas, the six men are required to pay restitution totaling around $90,000, with the majority owed by Di Rienzo to eight specific victims. Di Rienzo is described as the ringleader of the fraudulent operation.
Sentencing hearings, which may include victim impact statements, are set for January. Petruzziello has already been sentenced to two years of detention, consisting of one year of house arrest followed by three years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
The scam, previously detailed by CBC, involved convincing victims, such as Madeline, a retired nurse, to send money after falsely claiming that a family member was in need. The scammers employed a systematic approach, with one individual initiating contact posing as a relative in distress and then passing the call to another posing as law enforcement or legal counsel to finalize the deception.
Although the fraudulent group reportedly earned approximately $316,000, evidence presented in court documents revealed Di Rienzo’s possession of multiple luxury vehicles, including four Mercedes and a Rolls-Royce Phantom valued at nearly $600,000.
The suspects were apprehended in 2021 and formally charged in 2023 following an investigation by the Quebec provincial police known as Projet Partenariat. This case is one of several grandparent scam operations linked to Montreal, allegedly supported by organized crime networks, including the Italian mafia and biker gangs.
In a separate incident, 25 individuals from Quebec are facing fraud charges in the U.S. for their involvement in a network that allegedly defrauded victims of $30 million. The accused are challenging extradition to the U.S., where they would stand trial.
Gareth West, purportedly the mastermind behind the aforementioned scam, presented himself as a prosperous real estate developer while illicitly amassing substantial wealth from fraudulent activities. After evading capture for some time, West was arrested near Montreal earlier this year.
The operations of these scam networks have caused significant emotional and financial distress to their victims, with law enforcement agencies continuing to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in such fraudulent activities.