Montreal grandparent scammer who fled to Central America pleads guilty in U.S. court
Jimmy Ylimaki scammed American seniors as part of an elaborate network
Jimmy Ylimaki, a Montreal man accused of defrauding American seniors as part of an elaborate grandparent scam network, has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court.
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Ylimaki → flee → court
Ylimaki, who was apprehended in Nicaragua earlier this year after spending a year as a fugitive, initially pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.
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who → apprehend → fraud
He changed his plea at a hearing on Oct. 19.
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He → change → Oct.
He will be sentenced in January and faces up to 20 years in prison.
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He → sentence → prison
They are being charged in the U.S., but remain in Canada, contesting extradition.
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They → charge → extradition
Prosecutors allege that scheme netted tens of millions of dollars.
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scheme → allege → dollars
The alleged leader of the scam, Gareth West, appeared to run a real estate investment business, buying and selling property across Ontario and Quebec — while also posing as an influencer and amateur bodybuilder.
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leader → appear → influencer
Read more here
Meanwhile, co-conspirators, including Ylimaki, allegedly placed calls to elderly victims at call centres run by West, located around the Montreal area.
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conspirators → read → area
On the run in Central America
Ylimaki was caught “red-handed” in one of several raids police conducted against alleged call centres in the Montreal area in June 2024, according to U.S. assistant district attorney Nathanael Burris.
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police → catch → Burris
He was placing calls to U.S. seniors in the moments before police arrived.
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police → place → moments
They found him hiding in a downstairs shower, at a building owned by West.
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him → find → West
Shortly after the raid, which didn’t immediately lead to charges, Ylimaki left for Costa Rica.
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Ylimaki → lead → Rica
Then, in March 2025, police arrested two dozen people in the Montreal area and charged them with fraud-related offences, but West and Ylimaki evaded arrest.
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West → arrest → arrest
Months later, West was arrested at an Airbnb in Saint-Colomban, Que., in July 2025.
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West → arrest → July
If you know anyone involved in this case, please contact Matthew Lapierre at matthew.lapierre@cbc.ca.
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you → know → matthew.lapierre@cbc.ca
In the summer of 2025, a source with knowledge of Ylimaki's movements told CBC he was living in a coastal city in Costa Rica.
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he → tell → Rica
U.S. authorities were also tracking him.
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authorities → track → him
In a motion for detention, filed in March 2026, Burris says Ylimaki — fearing he would be arrested and brought to the U.S. — began researching extradition proceedings involving Costa Rica and learned that the country collaborated with the U.S. on extradition matters.
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country → file → matters
But neighbouring Nicaragua had historically refused U.S. extradition requests.
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Nicaragua → neighbour → requests
So, he crossed the border, according to Burris's filing.
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he → cross → filing
It did not protect him.
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It → protect → him
In March 2026, U.S. authorities said they had “apprehended” him in Nicaragua and “removed” him to the U.S.
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they → say → U.S.
The details of that operation remain murky.
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details → remain → operation
U.S. prosecutors have said Ylimaki participated in the scam as a “closer” — someone who posed as an attorney representing victims’ family members.
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who → say → members
He convinced victims that they needed to provide a large sum of cash, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, to bail their family member out of jail.
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they → convince → jail
In his role, over just a 67-week period within the alleged three-year conspiracy, Ylimaki was paid more than $367,000 US.
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Ylimaki → allege → US
“Moreover, members of the conspiracy in which Jimmy participated frequently transacted in cryptocurrency, making it difficult to ascertain the true extent of Jimmy’s resources,” Burris wrote in his March 2026 filing.
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Burris → participate → filing
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