A young Canadian who was living the high life in Miami while spending the proceeds of a multi-billion cryptocurrency scam on luxury cars and a private jet, the scheme came to light in traffic.
Trenton Richard David Johnston was sitting in the back of a white Rolls-Royce Cullinan with tinted windows one evening this past March when a sheriff's deputy told the driver to stop.
According to the detective's account – which was not disputed by Johnston – it wasn't long before other people in the SUV spilled what they knew of the mysterious Canadian man. All three told law enforcement they met Johnston last year and were living off his charity.
They said Johnston had no real job, but had made his fortune by defrauding crypto holders.
On Tuesday, Johnston pleaded guilty in US District Court in Miami to a months-long scheme that saw him impersonate Google employees and steal at least $13.04 million in virtual currency.
After one steal, Johnston bragged to a friend in a text message, “bro we rlly actually did some crazy a– s—.”
Johnston, who turned 20 in custody last month, has agreed to be extradited to Canada, according to a plea agreement reviewed by CBC News. He will be sentenced later.
Johnston overstayed his 12-month US visitor visa after crossing from Fort Erie, Ont., to Buffalo, NY, in October 2024 at the age of 18. It is not clear where he lived before. Attorneys for Johnston in Florida did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment. The prosecutor's office declined to provide further details.
During that stop in March, a Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputy noted “a strong odor of freshly burned marijuana” and marijuana residue visible in the car's cup holder, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Johnston was found in possession of 21 suspected amphetamine pills in a Hermes bag. But soon the investigators will uncover more evidence that put him in a very deep trouble.
After they seized Johnston's computer, cell phone and handwritten notes – and access codes to crypto accounts – federal agents with the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) pieced together Johnston's fraud scheme.
One victim in California told investigators they received two separate calls on March 13: one from someone claiming to be from Google, the other from a representative of Trezor, a crypto security company.
After being tricked into believing that their accounts were already compromised, the victim provided the access codes to their two digital accounts.
The victim soon realized “that approximately 185 Bitcoins had been stolen from his wallet, or the equivalent of US $13 million,” HSI Special Agent Ivan Sanchez wrote in a criminal complaint in April. He said no property was found.
After the robbery, Johnston and his accomplice congratulated each other using the encrypted messaging app Signal.
“We actually hit the 185btc target today,” Johnston told an unnamed colleague. “Like you hit 185 inexplicably.”
According to the criminal complaint, Johnston also said: “And we haven't.”
He did not hide the scheme. According to another witness who was interviewed by investigators after a traffic stop in March, Johnston showed others how to commit the crime by sharing his screen on the social networking site Discord.
Sanchez, an HSI agent, also described an earlier incident in February where a user in California claimed to have been defrauded of US$41,000 in Ethereum virtual currency.
An 'extreme' lifestyle
About 4,000 miles away, Johnston, on the other hand, was spending a lot of money on what prosecutors described as “extreme nightlife and entertainment.”
According to a statement released last month by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami, Johnston's liaison Brandon Michael Tardibone offered him “residence in a luxury Miami neighborhood in an effort to avoid immigration authorities.”
In addition, Tardibone, a local exotic car dealer, also helped Johnston purchase a high-powered Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, two BMWs and jewelry, and even chartered a private jet.
A page-long list of jobs run by Tardibone is included in Johnston's plea agreement, from car rentals in Los Angeles to “airline tickets for two girls from New York.” The cost reached $1.19 million US in a three-month period this year.
When asked about the case, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told CBC News that officials have been in contact with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the Canadian citizen.
Both Johnston and Tardibone pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each faces prison terms upon conviction, but it is unclear when Johnston will be returned to Canada.
He agreed to a removal order issued by a U.S. immigration judge in April. Johnston's agreement states that he is obligated to “assist” Immigration and Customs Enforcement in his deportation.
If you have a news tip related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle by email: [email protected].
