A traffic stop for speeding in North Miami turned into something far more interesting for investigators when they pulled over a Rolls-Royce Cullinan driven by a 20-year-old Canadian who had overstayed his US visa. That Canadian, Trenton Richard David Johnston, has now pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy tied to at least $13.04 million in stolen digital assets.
Johnston entered his guilty plea on June 10, 2026, in US District Court in Miami. The charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to deportation back to Canada following sentencing.
The scheme: Google impersonation and stolen Bitcoin
The playbook was disturbingly simple. Johnston and his alleged accomplice, Brandon Michael Tardibone, used social engineering tactics to impersonate tech support personnel from companies like Google. The goal was to trick crypto holders into giving up access to their digital wallets.
It worked. One victim alone lost approximately 185 Bitcoin, valued at roughly $13 million at the time of the theft.
