Man Wanted by Seal Beach Police Captured in Canada

A man wanted by Seal Beach police for allegedly scamming an 86-year-old grandmother out of $30,000 was captured in Canada this month, the Montrealgazette.com reported Tuesday.

Daniel Marcotte, 29, was arrested on Sept. 10 in a hotel room in Beaconsfield, a city in the Montreal area, according to the Montrealgazette.com. Marcotte was spotted by three people who told police they saw a man get out of a van and put on a wig.


Seal Beach police started looking for Marcotte, who was living in California at the time, in February when an 86-year-old widow received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson Randy. The man, who police believe to be Marcotte, said he was stuck in a Mexican jail and needed $15,000 to get out, Seal Beach police reported.

The caller asked the woman to send the money to “Matthew Jones” at a FedEx business office in New York City. A day after the woman sent the cash, the man asked for another $15,000 to the same address.

Marcotte allegedly used a fake Canadian driver’s license to pick up the packages from the New York FedEx business center. He was seen picking up the packages on surveillance video and still photos, police said.

Back in Montreal the three people who noticed Marcotte acting suspicious said they didn't know he was a fugitive.

“We didn’t know who he was but men don’t get out of cars and put on dark wigs,” one of the three men told the Montrealgazette.com. “It was suspicious.”

Read the full story on the Montrealgazette.com.

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