U.S. prosecutors have leveled accusations against Glen Crossley, a 56-year-old resident of Montreal who was responsible for the hit-and-run death of a Canadian Olympic gold medalist, asserting that he was involved in defrauding elderly individuals in the United States through a sophisticated grandparent scam network worth millions of dollars.
In 1989, Crossley was found guilty of striking swimmer Victor Davis outside a bar in a Montreal suburb, leading to his imprisonment for leaving the accident scene. Additionally, in 2019, he was convicted of manslaughter following an altercation in a bar that resulted in the death of a 70-year-old man.
Recent developments reveal that prosecutors in Vermont have unveiled an indictment against Crossley and six others, alleging their participation in a grandparent scam ring purportedly orchestrated by Gareth West, who posed as a high-end real estate developer. The indictment sheds light on the extensive fraudulent activities that targeted elderly victims, causing significant financial losses amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
Crossley, along with the other charged individuals, has been apprehended and faces extradition to Vermont to join the 25 other Canadians already facing legal action in connection with the scam. Reportedly, Crossley operated under the alias “Buju” within the scam, serving as a “closer” who posed as law enforcement or legal representatives to coerce victims into providing funds after initial contact by “openers” who deceived them about a loved one’s legal troubles.
The elaborate scheme is said to have victimized numerous individuals across the United States over a three-year period, leaving them deprived of their savings and overwhelmed with feelings of vulnerability and shame.
Apart from his involvement in the scam, Crossley has a history marred by tragic incidents. In 1992, he received a 10-month sentence for fleeing the scene of an accident that led to the death of Victor Davis, a renowned Canadian Olympic swimmer. The fatal incident occurred outside a bar in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, where Crossley struck Davis with his vehicle and fled, resulting in Davis’s untimely demise.
Court proceedings unveiled that an altercation had taken place between Davis and Crossley at the bar before the fatal collision. Despite Crossley’s claim of being unaware of hitting someone, the court dismissed his testimony as unreliable.
Moreover, in 2019, Crossley pleaded guilty to manslaughter for pushing a 70-year-old man, Albert Arsenault, down a flight of stairs in a Montreal bar in 2016. Witnesses stated that Arsenault had been behaving aggressively. Crossley departed the scene before emergency services arrived, leading to his conviction and a 15-month jail term.
The individuals facing charges alongside Crossley include Evangelos Lohaitis, Mitchell Burnett-Guarna, Kyle Lesser, Luca Santalucia, Cody Jodouin-King, and Panagiota Fountotos. Legal proceedings are underway for their extradition to the U.S., while Jimmy Ylimaki, another defendant, was recently apprehended in Nicaragua after evading authorities for over a year and is currently detained in Vermont.
In a separate development, Stefano Zanetti, a Montreal resident residing in Panama, was sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison in the U.S. for his involvement in the scam.