‘We need to send a strong message,’ Crown argues at sentencing for Luiggi Yataco in $28K scamPublished May 03, 2025 • 8 minute readLuiggi Yataco sits in Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial court just before his sentencing May 2, 2025. Photo by Keith Gosse /Keith Gosse/The TelegramIt’s a phone call that would cause any grandparent’s heart to jump to their throat.Someone on the other end of the line sounding like and claiming to be your upset grandson says he’s been implicated in an accident and wants you to speak with his lawyer. A man then comes on the phone.Your grandson, the man says, just caused a car crash that sent another driver – a pregnant woman – to hospital with serious injuries. Witnesses saw your grandson speeding moments before the collision, the lawyer tells you.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHe says your grandchild is in custody with some serious charges and needs thousands of dollars right away for bail, which a legal associate can come pick up at your house.Later, after you’ve paid the bail, the man calls you back: the charges have gotten more serious, he says, and your grandson is now facing up to 25 years in prison. He needs another $10,000.It’s called the “Grandparent Scam,” and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre indicates residents across the country lost more than $23 million to it between 2021 and 2024.Seniors in St. John’s and Gander targetedIn St. John’s Friday morning, May 2nd, the provincial court heard details of 35-year-old Luiggi Giovanni Yataco’s involvement in the same scam, defrauding seniors in St. John’s and Gander of nearly $27,900 in October 2023 – and that amount doesn’t include the extra $26,000 the victims didn’t turn over because they had caught on to the scheme.Yataco pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud – three in Gander and one in St. John’s – and a single charge of wearing a disguise. Other charges were withdrawn.Article contentIn court proceedings conducted entirely in French, prosecutor Richard Deveau read out an agreed statement of facts in the case. The details of the incidents were nearly identical: seniors received a phone call from someone they believed was a distressed young loved one charged with a car crash involving a pregnant woman – in one case, the pregnant woman of a politician – and needed quick money for bail. The amounts requested ranged from $5,000 to $8,400 and the envelopes of cash were collected by an “associate” wearing a medical mask.In two of the incidents, the scammers called back to request more money, claiming the woman had lost her baby and the criminal charges had been upgraded. The fraudsters didn’t get the extra cash, after the victims caught onto what was happening.In one case, it was a St. John’s bank cashier who alerted a grandfather to the scam after he returned a second day in a row to withdraw a large amount of cash.In the other, a Gander couple grew suspicious and called the Nova Scotia law office where the “lawyer” representing their grandson said he worked; when they learned the story was false, they contacted the RCMP.Article contentPolice were at the grandparents’ home when Yataco arrived to collect the money. A search of a rental vehicle parked nearby turned up three envelopes of cash with the exact amounts swindled from the three Gander families. The ‘Grandparent scam’ targets senior and other family members by making them believe a young loved one is in trouble and needs money right away.‘I have grandparents, too’In court, Yataco’s lawyer, Marc-Antoine Rock, argued his client was just the money mule, sent by others to pick up the envelopes of cash without knowing what was going on.“He recognizes that in the situation he found himself, there were questions that should have been asked,” Rock said. “It was easy money that that was proposed to him.”Yataco told the court he works in construction but was unemployed and broke in 2023, with two children to feed. He said he had accepted an opportunity from an old friend to make some quick money, and came to Newfoundland without asking for details or talking to anyone face-to-face; he was given addresses over text messages and told to wear a mask when he went to pick up the envelopes, and promised pay for each one.Article content“How did you feel when you learned (you were involved in a scam)?,” Rock asked.“Really upset,” Yataco replied. “I have grandparents, too.”‘What happened is absolutely horrible’Prosecutor Richard Deveau asked Yataco if he had asked his associate why he needed a mask. The accused said he hadn’t questioned it, but assumed it was due to COVID, despite it being three years after the outbreak.Deveau presented the court with Yataco’s criminal record: a charge from 2015 related to a physical altercation and one from the previous year related to a co-accused, a theft of beer from a convenience store, and an assault on a clerk with a broken bottle.Rock didn’t suggest a particular length of sentence for his client, but argued for it to be served in the community, allowing him to continue working and supporting his family. Yataco is taking responsibility for his crimes and won’t put himself in a similar situation again, the defence lawyer said, arguing Yataco was a small player in the scam.Article content“The person responsible was the employer, the one who hired Mr. Yataco to collect the money,” Rock argued.“It’s obvious what type of impact this would have one the victims,” he continued. “What happened is absolutely horrible. The seriousness of it is recognized.”‘We need to send a strong message’Deveau argued for a 15-month jail sentence, telling the court if it weren’t for Yataco’s actions, the seniors wouldn’t have been scammed.“This is an ongoing problem in Canada,” Deveau said of the scheme, noting the particularly vulnerability of those targeted. “We need to send a strong message, not only to Mr. Yataco, but to anyone else who might commit similar offences.”“It doesn’t have to be the kingpin; it can be a person like Mr. Yataco, who doesn’t ask questions. I accept that he feels bad for the victims, but the Crown’s concern is that in two years, if he finds himself in a similar situation, is he going to once again willingly close his eyes and participate in this type of crime?”Article contentJudge Harold Porter returned to the courtroom in the afternoon with his verdict, giving Yataco a 15-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months of probation, with conditions that he be of good behaviour, report to a probation officers and have no contact with the victims, among others.Porter also granted the Crown’s request for restitution to the St. John’s grandfather whose $7,000 wasn’t recovered by police, giving Yataco one year to pay it back as part of his sentence.Another accused scammer set for court MondayYataco is not the only person charged with defrauding seniors with the Grandparent Scam in this province. On Monday, Charles Gillen, 24, is expected to plead guilty in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court to some of the 40-odd offences he’s facing in incidents of the same type of scheme. He has no known connection to Yataco.The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary arrested the Ontario man at St. John’s International Airport two years ago as he reportedly tried to leave the province. In the three days before his arrest, at least eight local seniors lost a combined $200,000 after receiving phone calls they believed were from young family members in distress.Article content Accused scammer Charles Gillen speaks with lawyer Bob Buckingham in court in St. John’s during his bail hearing in 2024. -File Photo by Evan Careen /Evan CareenGillen has already pleaded guilty in a Dartmouth, N.S. courtroom to three counts of fraud over $5,000 for defrauding seniors in that province of nearly $30,000. Those charges have been transferred here for sentencing.Scammers doing their homework, trying to trap people at their worstIn an interview with The Telegram last fall, RNC Cst. James Cadigan said people of all demographics are being victimized by scammers, who try to trap people at their most stressed, desperate or unsuspecting.Fraudsters are doing their homework and are putting time into researching a target before perpetrating a scam, Cadigan said. They frequently mine the Internet, especially social media, for information a person has shared publicly about their location, workplace, hobbies and family members- including children.In the case of the Grandparent Scam, perpetrators have been known to use artificial intelligence to duplicate the voice of a loved one, as sampled from social media video clips.Article content Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) media relations officer Const. James Cadigan. – FileNo need to feel embarrassed: policeCadigan said police understand people targeted by scammers may feel ashamed to report the crime.“It’s not uncommon that, in the world of scams and fraud, there’s a level of embarrassment, and you know, that does come into play in terms of (sharing the information with police). We understand that,” he said. “It’s interesting, because we often think about trauma more in a violent crime capacity, but there’s a level of trauma also when you’ve been taken advantage of in this nature.There’s no need to be embarrassed, Cadigan said.“It’s important that we share this information so we can identify perpetrators and hopefully hold these individuals accountable.“These perpetrators are scripted, they are researched, and they’re sophisticated. And this is why they’ve been successful.”Tips to stop scammersPolice and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre offer similar tips when it comes to identifying and stopping scammers:Article content– If you receive a phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly using a phone number you already have. If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official, hang up and call your local police directly, using a phone number from a reputable source– Be wary of unsolicited calls, e-mails or text messages. Don’t engage in the conversation, click on a link, or scan a QR code from an unknown source. Instead, contact a company directly through its main website or via the phone number on your bill. Be suspicious of telephone calls that request money and require you to act immediately– Don’t trust caller ID names and numbers- scammers use technology to disguise their actual number and can “spoof” a legitimate one– Be suspicious of anyone demanding payment in Bitcoin or gift cards– Never send money under pressure– Don’t respond to threatening calls or messages– Guard your personal information. Keep tight privacy settings on your social media accounts, limit the personal information you share online, and change your passwords frequently.– Know that in Canada, the bail process works differently than in the U.S. There are no “bail bondsmen” in Canada. Instead, the courts often require a surety – a friend or family member who promises to make sure the accused abides by their conditions and pledges to pay the court a certain amount of money if the conditions are broken) In some cases, the accused can deposit money themselves directly with the court. In any case, everything is handled by the court.Article content
Quebec man sentenced for swindling seniors in St. John’s, Gander with ‘grandparent scam’
