A Canadian man with ties to Montreal has been sentenced to fifteen and a half years in a U.S. jail for his position in a grandparent rip-off that defrauded seniors out of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
U.S. prosecutors say 44-year-old Stefano Zanetti orchestrated the scheme whereas residing a lavish beachfront way of life in Panama, funded by cash stolen from the aged victims.
In accordance with courtroom paperwork, Zanetti was “the lynchpin in a global conspiracy designed to systematically steal cash from aged victims in the US,” and “lived massive on the proceeds of his crimes.”
Prosecutors allege the fraud financed an extravagant way of life that included driving a Porsche, proudly owning boats and jet skis, flying on non-public planes and buying cocaine.
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Authorities say the rip-off operated out of Montreal-based name centres that focused seniors in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in the US.
Victims have been contacted by folks posing as their grandchildren, who claimed to be in authorized bother and urgently wanted cash for bail.
Investigators say Zanetti organized the gathering of the money by way of people posing as bail bondsmen.
Prosecutors allege Zanetti ran the operation from an oceanfront property in Panama, the place he additionally operated a jet ski enterprise as a canopy.
He was finally arrested, extradited to the U.S. and charged together with 25 different Canadians.
As a part of a plea deal, Zanetti admitted to stealing as a lot as $3.5 million from seniors.
The U.S. Division of Justice says Zanetti knowingly focused susceptible victims over a number of years, pushed by greed.
Would-be grandparent rip-off sufferer warns others