David Anthony Di Rienzo, a 32-year-old from Laval, Quebec, has pleaded guilty to leading a fraudulent scheme that targeted elderly Americans. Between 2019 and 2021, his network scammed 20 victims out of more than $316,000.

Di Rienzo was one of six men who appeared in court on Thursday, where he was described as the mastermind behind the operation. Prosecutor Erik Cookson-Montin presented a 16-page summary of facts that characterized Di Rienzo as a controlling micromanager. He required his associates to record calls with potential victims, mimicking corporate practices for quality assurance. The scammers posed as grandchildren in urgent need of money, often claiming they were in legal trouble.

To join Di Rienzo's network, fraudsters had to pay for lists of potential victims. The prosecution revealed that leaving the organization could cost a member as much as $50,000. Following his guilty plea to four charges, including gangsterism, Di Rienzo was ordered to pay $88,877 in restitution, the highest amount among the six men involved. In total, the group has been ordered to return $190,195 to the victims.

Another defendant, Joshua Sarroino, 31, entered a no-contest plea. He is currently awaiting a second trial for a homicide case from 2019. Sarroino was identified as the manager of one of Di Rienzo's so-called boiler rooms, which operated out of his Laval apartment. During the investigation, this location was the busiest, with scammers requesting $594,500 from victims.

Di Rienzo referred to his employees as "my kids" and was known to walk around with a firearm. The prosecution's documents revealed a dark side to the operation, where Di Rienzo imposed fines on his associates for mistakes. For instance, he fined one scammer $10,000 when an American was arrested while collecting money from a victim.

The investigation uncovered that Di Rienzo acted as a liaison between American participants and the laundering of fraud proceeds back to Canada. He used various methods, including jewelry transactions in New York City and Montreal, to repatriate the illegally obtained funds.

The scammers targeted elderly individuals aged 70 to 95, often requesting $9,000 under the pretense of needing bail money. They exploited the urgency of the situation, pressuring victims to withdraw cash and lie about the reason for the withdrawal. Victims were also instructed to keep the situation secret, citing shame and legal non-disclosure agreements.

The case against Di Rienzo and four other scammers is set to enter the sentencing phase in January. On the same day, Steven Petruzziello, 32, who acted as Di Rienzo's chauffeur and distributed payments to callers, received a community service sentence.