MONTREAL — Six men pleaded guilty Thursday in a Montreal courthouse for their roles in a grandparent fraud scheme that attempted to steal life savings from elderly Americans.
The fraud ring, based in Montreal and led by 32-year-old David Anthony Di Rienzo of Laval, operated between May 2019 and March 2021. Using “boiler rooms” staffed by several fraud cells, they placed phone calls to seniors across multiple U.S. states.
The scammers would start calls by saying “Hi Grandpa” or “Hi Grandma,” pretending to be the victim’s grandchild in urgent need of bail money, initially demanding $9,000. They would fabricate stories of police stops or arrests involving drugs to intensify the urgency.
If victims agreed to help, they were directed to interact with individuals posing as police officers, lawyers, or judges, who provided addresses for victims to send money — often abandoned properties or homes for sale in the U.S.
Among those sentenced Thursday was 32-year-old Steven Petruzziello, who played a minor role as a driver and distributor of victim lists. He received a sentence of two years less one day to be served mostly under house arrest, along with probation and community service.
Others who pleaded guilty — including Di Rienzo, Tenaj Johnson, and Mason Pereira Walker — face sentencing in 2026.
The investigation, dubbed Partenariat and led by the Sûreté du Québec, revealed that the fraudsters requested over $1.2 million, defrauding 20 victims out of approximately $316,400 USD. One victim lost more than $70,600 USD and will receive restitution ordered by the court.
The scheme exploited elderly victims’ goodwill, causing not only financial harm but emotional pain, as noted in a victim-impact statement condemning the scammers’ actions.
