The Canadian Press
Maura Forrest
A Montreal man, Ari Tietolman, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Pennsylvania judge for orchestrating a telemarketing scheme that defrauded American seniors out of millions of dollars. Tietolman, 50, was extradited from Canada to the U.S. last year and pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering.
Operating from Montreal between 2005 and 2014, Tietolman’s team sold worthless or non-existent fraud protection services, prescription drug discount cards, and discounted legal services to tens of thousands of U.S. seniors. U.S. attorney Jacqueline C. Romero criticized Tietolman’s actions, stating, “Targeting the elderly because you consider them easy prey is deplorable.”
Initially charged in 2017, Tietolman and his partners amassed approximately $13 million from their victims since May 2011. He has already spent 14 months in custody, which will be deducted from his sentence. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay $7 million in restitution to the victims.
The telemarketers often falsely claimed to represent banks, insurance companies, or the U.S. government. In some instances, they assured victims that their products were free or cheaper than the final amounts charged to their bank accounts. Many telemarketers operated from “boiler rooms” in Montreal, with some located in India, which Tietolman referred to as “fulfilment rooms.”
Two of Tietolman’s associates have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Adam Harper worked alongside Tietolman in Montreal, while Marc Roy Ferry, based in Pennsylvania, operated front companies in the U.S. to facilitate the fraudulent transactions and transfer the proceeds back to Canada.
