Jimmy Ylimaki, Grandparent Scam, Vermont 2026

Burlington, Vermont – Jimmy Ylimaki, 36, of Quebec, Canada, made his initial appearance in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont on March 24, 2026, in connection with an indictment charging him with participating in a 'grandparent scam.'

Ylimaki was apprehended in Nicaragua and was removed to the United States. He entered a plea of not guilty to the charge before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Ylimaki be detained pending trial.

According to court records, a 'grandparent scam' is a telemarketing fraud scheme involving phone calls made to elderly individuals. The initial callers typically pose as a member of the elderly victim's family (usually a grandchild) and claim – falsely – to be in legal trouble, such as a motor vehicle accident. A second person posing as an 'attorney' representing the family member then states that the elderly victim of the scam needs to provide a large sum of cash – typically thousands or tens of thousands of dollars – to bail the family member out of jail.

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

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Nate Burris, Michelle Arra, and Nicole Cate. Ylimaki is represented by Attorney Jessica Burke.

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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/canadian-man-detained-connection-grandparent-scam-indictment-after-removal-nicaragua