Seven Additional Canadian Nationals Charged in Connection with Nationwide Multimillion-Dollar “Grandparent Scam” Following Homeland Security Task Force Investigation

BURLINGTON - The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on November 18, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the following seven Canadian nationals with participation in a "Grandparent Scam" that defrauded elderly individuals in Vermont and more than 40 other states:

Evangelos Lohaitis, a.k.a. "Bucky," (36 - Saint-Eustache, Québec)
Mitchell Burnett-Guarna, a.k.a. "Juice," (39 - Dorval, Québec)
Kyle Lesser, a.k.a. "Brock," (34 - Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Québec)
Luca Santalucia, a.k.a. "Rocco," (27 - Montreal, Québec)
Glen Crossley, a.k.a. "Buju," (56 - Kirkland, Québec)
Cody Jodouin-King, a.k.a. "Lids," (28 - Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec)
Panagiota Fountotos, a.k.a. "Nike," (29 - Laval, Québec)

All seven defendants were arrested in Canada on May 7, 2026. The charges relate to a separate indictment charging 25 other defendants, including Gareth West, with participation in the same Grandparent Scam.

According to the indictment, which was unsealed on May 7, 2026, between the summer of 2021 and June 4, 2024, the defendants engaged in a "Grandparent Scam" involving phone calls made from call centers in and around Montreal, Québec. During these phone calls, defendants falsely claimed to be an elderly victim's relative, typically a grandchild, who had been arrested following a car crash and needed money for "bail." Other defendants posed as an "attorney" representing the elderly victim's relative. Elderly victims were often told that there was a "gag order" in place to prevent the elderly victim from telling anyone about their family member's supposed arrest. Elderly victims were convinced to provide bail money to an individual falsely posing as a bail bondsman, who would come to the elderly victim's home to collect the money. This money was later transmitted to Canada following cash deliveries and financial transactions, sometimes involving cryptocurrency, which, the indictment alleges, obscured the source of the money and the identities of defendants.

The United States Attorney's Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The defendants face up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, as well as Customs and Border Protection. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ophardt also acknowledged the contributions of numerous other local, state, and federal investigators and agencies across the United States who assisted the investigation, and recognized the contributions of the United States Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs as well as Justice Canada.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Nate Burris, Michelle Arra, and Nicole Cate. Santalucia is represented by David Sleigh, Esq. The other defendants have not yet retained or been appointed counsel in the United States.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Vermont comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and state and local partner agencies, with prosecutions being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont.