US EditionQuebec man charged in U.S. court for alleged role in 'grandparent scam'
Jimmy Ylimaki faces charges for his role as a fake attorney in a telemarketing scheme that defrauded mostly American seniors of $30 million, U.S. prosecutors say.
- On Wednesday, Canadian Jimmy Ylimaki appeared in a Vermont court and pleaded not guilty to charges related to a multimillion-dollar scam. U.S. officials apprehended Ylimaki, 36, in Nicaragua before transferring him to face trial.
- Ylimaki allegedly acted as a fake "attorney" in a "grandparent scam," a telemarketing fraud targeting American seniors. Authorities accuse him of participating in a Montreal-based network that defrauded victims of $30 million.
- Canadian authorities arrested two dozen people in March 2025 for the fraud, but Ylimaki remained at large until recently. He previously fled to Costa Rica after the initial police sweep in the Montreal area.
- While Ylimaki faces up to 20 years in prison, other alleged members are currently contesting extradition to the U.S. The network's purported head, Gareth West, was arrested in Saint-Colomban, Que., last July.
- Allegations against Ylimaki have not yet been tested in court, though the case involves victims in more than 40 states. Legal proceedings remain ongoing as authorities address the transnational fraud network.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Grandparent scam suspect pleads innocent
By Michael DonoghueVermont News First A Montreal-area man, who is among about two dozen defendants indicted as part of a more than $21 million international “grandparent” scam operating in Vermont, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Burlington to a felony fraud charge. Federal authorities in Vermont indicted 25 Canadians in the criminal case in February 2025 and all but two were arrested by March 2025, officials said. Jimmy “Coop” Ylimak…
Quebec Man Charged in US Court for Alleged Role in ‘Grandparent Scam’
A Quebec man charged with allegedly participating in a network that defrauded seniors in more than 40 U.S. states has appeared in Vermont district court. U.S. officials say Jimmy Ylimaki, 36, was arrested in Nicaragua and sent to Vermont, where a judge on Tuesday ordered him detained pending trial. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Canadian authorities arrested 23 people in March 2025 for allegedly defrauding seniors in more than 40 …
Jimmy Ylimaki faces up to 20 years in prison for his alleged role in a network of grandparent fraud that operated in Montreal, according to the police.
The Toronto Star
Quebec man charged in U.S. court for alleged role in ‘grandparent scam’
BURLINGTON - A Quebec man charged with allegedly participating in a network that defrauded seniors in more than 40 U.S. states has appeared in Vermont district court.
A 36-year-old Quebec resident, Jimmy Ylimaki, was arrested in Nicaragua and extradited to the United States, where he was accused on Tuesday of participating in a “grandparent” fraud.
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