Montreal Scammer Sentenced After Nicaraguan Capture

Jimmy Ylimaki pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in a U.S. federal court on Oct. 19. The Montreal man had originally entered a not guilty plea when first charged. His new plea sets the stage for a sentencing hearing scheduled for January. He faces a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Ylimaki was captured in Nicaragua earlier this year. He had been a fugitive for approximately one year. Thirty-one other defendants are also accused in the case. They remain in Canada while contesting extradition requests from the United States.

Prosecutors state the scheme generated tens of millions of dollars. Gareth West is alleged to have led the network. West operated a real estate investment firm across Ontario and Quebec. He also cultivated a public persona as an influencer and amateur bodybuilder. Co-conspirators phoned elderly victims from call centres located near Montreal.

U.S. assistant district attorney Nathanael Burris detailed Ylimaki's initial capture. In June 2024, police raided a building owned by West. Officers found Ylimaki hiding in a downstairs shower. He had been calling U.S. seniors moments before the raid. Ylimaki fled to Costa Rica shortly after the arrest.

West was arrested in July 2025 at an Airbnb in Saint-Colomban, Quebec. Ylimaki remained the only member of the group at large. A source with knowledge of his movements told CBC in summer 2025 that Ylimaki lived in a coastal Costa Rican city. U.S. authorities were tracking him at the time.

A motion for detention filed in March 2026 explains Ylimaki's move to Nicaragua. He researched extradition laws to avoid transfer to the U.S. He learned Costa Rica cooperated with American requests. He determined Nicaragua historically refused such requests. He crossed the border based on that research.

Ylimaki is described by prosecutors as a closer. He posed as an attorney representing victims' relatives. He convinced seniors to pay large sums, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, to bail relatives out of jail. He earned more than $367,000 over a 67-week period. The group frequently used cryptocurrency for transactions, which complicates the assessment of total funds.