UMVA has learned that a young Canadian man, Trenton Richard David Johnston, has agreed to a plea deal in connection with a $13-million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering scheme in Florida.
The 20-year-old Johnston was in the United States illegally after overstaying his visa when he was busted in connection with a months-long scam that saw him impersonate Google staff and steal roughly $13.04 million US in digital currency.
Johnston pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, a month after he was indicted by a federal grand jury, prosecutors said he worked with other co-conspirators to gain unauthorized access to victims’ digital accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.
The group would then transfer the victims’ crypto to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle, which included renting a private jet, and leases to a Lamborghini and two BMWs, authorities said, adding that the losses to the victims exceed $13 million, while other victims are still being identified.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Johnston had crossed into Buffalo from Fort Erie, Ont., via the Peace Bridge on October 2024 when he was 18, and had been living the life of a high-roller in south Florida, spending money that wasn’t his on luxury vehicles, high-end jewelry, and funding an extravagant nightlife.
But Johnston was busted during a routine traffic stop when a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a Rolls-Royce that had “a strong odour of freshly burnt marijuana” as well as cannabis residue visible in the vehicle’s cup holder, and found Johnston carrying 21 amphetamine tablets in a Hermes bag.
The others in the Rolls-Royce turned on Johnston, telling investigators they were living off the generous Canadian who didn’t have a job but, rather, made his money by scamming crypto holders.
Johnston’s co-conspirator, Brandon Michael Tardibone, told investigators the Canadian provided him with “lodging at a luxury Miami-area residence in an effort to evade immigration authorities,” and that Johnston and Tardibone allegedly laundered the proceeds of the fraud scheme through a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the nature and source of the funds.
As part of the deal, Johnston agreed to be deported back to Canada and will be sentenced at a later date.
