Catch Him if You Can
March came from nothing. Now, he’s the 1%. He made his fortune in oil and cryptocurrency. He’s sweet, handsome and charming. It’s hard to believe he’s still single. Only, it isn’t. Because March isn’t real. He’s a border-hopping Canadian con artist who’s tricked women and men out of over a million dollars. He thought he was untouchable, but now he’s messed with the wrong women. From Pink Moon Studio, this is Catch Him if You Can. The story of Marcel Vautour, his survivors' real time crusade to catch him, and the broken legal system that’s allowed him to get away for over 20 years – told in 7 parts. Written and produced by Emilia King and Maggie Reid. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @catchhimpod
Catch Him if You Can
Andréa
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Andréa Speranza, a fire captain from Nova Scotia, meets March Hebert by chance at a Tim Hortons in August 2018. He’s successful, charming and coincidentally shares her exact same life goals. She isn’t looking for a relationship, but over the course of a few months he wins her over.
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SPEAKER_08March Vautura is the 1%. He made his fortune in oil and cryptocurrency. He's handsome, charming, and has a heart of gold. It's hard to believe he's still single, only it isn't. Because March isn't real. He's a serial grifter and romance con artist who's tricked women and men across Canada, the US, Vietnam, and the Czech Republic out of over a million dollars. And that's just what we know of. His trail of destruction has led to heartbreak, bankruptcies, foreclosures, and even PTSD.
SPEAKER_04How could you not be a psychopath? How could you ruin so many people's lives and not care and walk away? It's dark evil.
SPEAKER_07Romance fraud, business fraud, investment fraud, medical fraud.
SPEAKER_13You know, they say a really good liar puts some truths in there to make it easier and make the story more believable because he has conviction about that because he knows it's true.
SPEAKER_07He goes by Marcel, he goes by Mark with an M-A-R-C, an M-A-R-K. He goes by Andre, he also goes by Dre. We know him to go by Andy, we know him to go by Martin. We know him to go by March. I think he has a character that he's built for each one of them.
SPEAKER_02He doesn't work. This is his job. He is good at what he does. Hey, you know what? Problem. You're good at what you do. But we're we're good at what we do too. And we're gonna get you.
SPEAKER_08My name is Amelia King, and this is Catch Em If You Can. I'm a co-founder of a company called Pink Moon Studio. In this seven-part podcast, I'm working with my partner Maggie Reed to piece together the story of Marcel Vautour, also known as March. All of the stories you'll hear are based on almost two years of research and first-hand accounts, including secret recordings of March himself. We talk to psychologists, fraud experts, police, and follow his survivor's real-time crusade to capture him. Together we'll mix drama and documentary so you can experience each con first hand. Some of the minor details in our scripted scenes are fictionalized, but it's how we imagine things went down based on over 50 hours of interviews. The jury had reserved judgment on him, but already decided that these women were dumb and easily conned. And that bothered me. I then did what you should never do. I went to the comments section.
SPEAKER_12How do people keep falling for these scam artists? There's so much in the news about it. Crazy.
SPEAKER_08Gold diggers. The snap judgment is to blame the victim because no one thinks it could happen to them. But could it?
SPEAKER_04I never in a million years thought this would happen to me. And in fact, when I told my friends this happened to me, they were like, You got to be kidding me. You of all people, you chapter one.
SPEAKER_08Andrea. In the summer of 2018, Andrea Speranza was living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her dog Cooper. She's a fire captain. She volunteers. She's well known and beloved in her community. She founded Camp Courage, which is a nonprofit that empowers young girls to become first responders. Professions that are still very male-dominated. Andrea Speranza has long dark hair, dark eyes, and a beautiful smile. She's fit. Andrea exercises religiously. And not just to stay in shape. She actually likes it. She's one of those people with endless energy and positivity. Andrea's in her mid-40s. She's twice divorced, single, and definitely wasn't looking for love.
SPEAKER_04I've already been married twice and both and ended I I'm confident mostly because they had these life-altering accidents that changed the dynamics from wife to caretaker. I just invested so much in other people that I felt I'm not really gonna look if something I'm not gonna say I'm never gonna date anyone, but I'm not gonna actively go out and look. I do not want to take care of another person. So I don't I don't do online dating, I don't do anything like that.
SPEAKER_08Between 24-hour work shifts at the fire station, her nonprofit volunteering and exercise, her weeks are jam-packed. She has a lot going on in her life, things she wanted to accomplish. Andrea has big dreams, but not the kind you might expect. She wanted to open up an adventure retreat for underprivileged kids.
SPEAKER_13Honestly, I think, and I say this to anybody who will listen to me, she is my Oprah. That's Anna. I look at her with admiration, with respect, with loyalty. I don't know anybody who's smarter, who's kinder, uh, and willing to give of her time to help just about anyone.
SPEAKER_08Anna's one of Andrea's best friends. They're both fitness junkies. They exercise together most days in a place called Shubi Park. Shubi Park might as well be a poster for Dartmouth. Known for its beautiful trails and nicknamed the City of Lakes, it has 23. This is a beautiful place to live. Shubi Park is nestled between Lake Mi'kmaq and Lake Charles. It has pristine beaches, places to hike, and wild animals. It even has a campground.
SPEAKER_04I live in Shubi Park. Every day I go I go to Shubi Park and with my dog, and he comes with me, and he's either in my bike basket, running next to me, on my paddleboard, or on my kayak.
SPEAKER_08Something you need to know about Dartmouth is that everyone knows everyone. So when a new person moves to town, they stand out. And the first time Andrea noticed March was in Shubi Park.
SPEAKER_04So he was staying in the campground and I exercise on the trail. There's a trail and a park attached to it. And uh, you know, every day I'm there, and so I've seen him lots, but I never thought anything of it, and I'm always in a hurry, so I just say hi to everybody and keep keep on my merry way.
SPEAKER_08It wasn't until August 4th, 2018, Anna's 50th birthday, that they actually meet March for the first time. Anna and Andrea had just finished a 10-kilometer walk through Shubi with Cooper. It's a scorching hot summer day, and they're on the hunt for a cold drink and a patio.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Tim Hortons. How can I help you?
SPEAKER_10Hi, can I get a medium iced cap with chocolate milk? And Anna, what do you want?
SPEAKER_12Uh I'll have the same.
SPEAKER_10Good boy, Cooper.
SPEAKER_12What a beautiful day.
SPEAKER_10Happy birthday, Anna Banana. Cheers. How's it feel?
SPEAKER_12The exact same.
SPEAKER_08Andrea and Anna sit there for a while talking and basking in the summer heat, until a man walks out of Tim Hortons with two coffees in hand and sits at the table next to them with his friend. He's in his forties, about 5'8, a dark tan and green eyes, medium builds, a well-groomed beard, lots of tattoos. He's talking loudly on his cell phone and catches Anna's eye immediately.
SPEAKER_06Okay, I'll call you later. Okay, Bobby. You see, uh merci.
SPEAKER_12So, how many languages do you speak?
SPEAKER_06Hmm, I want to say five. English, French, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Italian. Well, six if you count sign language. But my friend here only speaks French. This is JB.
SPEAKER_01Uh okay.
SPEAKER_12Wow. That's really impressive. Hi, JB.
SPEAKER_06Hello. I'm Marge, by the way. Marge Eber. Really nice to meet you both.
SPEAKER_12I'm Anna, and this is Andrea.
SPEAKER_06So uh you both don't work out much, do you?
SPEAKER_08Not at all. Anna is attracted to March, but he isn't really Andrea's type. She usually goes for more athletic looking men. She likes a smile though. He's wearing a t-shirt and shorts, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. One of the tattoos on his outer right forearm says Vietnam in italic lettering. He explains that he used to live there and loved the people. Another tattoo on his inner right forearm was three skulls, meaning see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Anna describes March as having a soft mannerism and a disarming demeanor. Why don't you sit with us?
SPEAKER_06Thanks. I see toi, JB.
SPEAKER_12So what brings you to Dartmouth?
SPEAKER_06How much time do you have? Just kidding. I hate talking about myself. Um, so I came to Dartmouth to help my stepmom. She owns a Shubi Camground.
SPEAKER_10Oh, okay. I think I've seen you in the park.
SPEAKER_06You know? You look really familiar. I think I've seen you too. So, yeah, my stepmom's overwhelmed right now. Her groundskeeper had an emergency, had to leave between us. I'm in the process of buying the place from her. She's having some money troubles.
SPEAKER_12So, are you planning to stay?
SPEAKER_06Oh, yeah, a hundred percent. I've been traveling for 20 years. I want to set down some roots. I actually bought 300 acres of land near Digby, about two and a half hours from here.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, we know Digby. What are you gonna do with 300 acres?
SPEAKER_06I'm actually opening a facility for at-risk youth.
SPEAKER_08Stop! Seriously?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, why?
SPEAKER_08Anna looks over at Andrea, wide-eyed. They can't believe what they're hearing. This is Andrea's dream.
SPEAKER_10I got a question. Why do you want to open a facility for at-risk youth?
SPEAKER_06Well, let's just say I didn't have it easy as a kid.
SPEAKER_10What do you mean?
SPEAKER_06Do you mind if I smoke?
SPEAKER_11Go ahead.
SPEAKER_06So my parents were hippies. That's why they called me Marge and my sister April. Probably not what you might picture, though. Not the fun free spirit kind of hippies. They were addicts. We had no money. I lived most of my childhood in a tent, in the woods, off the grids, no friends, no school. My parents even might sorry.
SPEAKER_01They forced me to take drugs. They were abusive, fought constantly.
SPEAKER_11Oh my god. That's awful, Marsh.
SPEAKER_06Sorry. Sorry. I usually don't get like this. It's just hard to talk about sometimes.
SPEAKER_10Don't apologize.
SPEAKER_06Anyway, um when I was old enough, I finally got the nerve to run away from them. I left with ten dollars in my pockets and two cigarettes. I was a mess, completely strung out. I went to the airport. I didn't know what I was doing or how I could get on a plane out there. I just needed to leave. And that's when I met Cal. I was smoking my second last cigarette. He came up and asked me to bum a smoke. I gave him my last one. Cal. Man, he uh he he saved my life. He got me into rehab, mentored me, got my job on the oil rigs, gave me a place to live. He's my family. Because of him, I worked my way up from managing food to doing repairs to safety officer, and now I'm an ROV operator. I bought a beautiful house in Vancouver. I was able to turn my life around with a little help. So I guess that's why I want to open a facility for at rescue. I've been so lucky to turn my life around. I just want to pay it forward, you know.
SPEAKER_10What an amazing story. It sounds like you've been through a lot.
SPEAKER_06That's why I've taken JB here under my wing. He's had a bit of a rough go himself. I gave him a job at the campground.
SPEAKER_01Ah oui.
SPEAKER_12You know, Andrea can help you with the facility.
SPEAKER_06Oh, yeah?
SPEAKER_12She's got a non-profit camp for girls.
SPEAKER_06Come on. Seriously?
SPEAKER_12Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_08And I got big plans for the future, too.
SPEAKER_06I'd love to hear them.
SPEAKER_08They talk for an hour that day. Anna thinks that March seems perfect for Andrea.
SPEAKER_13I was like, oh my god. And I kept looking at her and looking at her, and I was like, whoa, this is mirroring your life. So I was in awe of him. And he said, So are you guys single? I'm like, yeah, we're both single. Oh my gosh. She said, Why? How come you guys, how could it be possible that the two of you are single? And we sort of laughed, and and then I'm like, Well, you know, why don't you ask her out? You know, I'm I'm sort of pushing him at her. I really was, because I I was like, Here's this attractive man. I found him attractive, very charismatic.
SPEAKER_03Every time he spoke, her eyes would bulge and she'd look at me. She thought he was my soulmate.
SPEAKER_08Andrea doesn't show it much in that first meeting, but she's impressed with March.
SPEAKER_04My first impression of him was that he was pretty strong for being able to turn his life around, and that he was uh community-minded for wanting to pay it forward, you know, and that he must be intelligent because he can speak all those languages.
SPEAKER_08March doesn't ask Andrea out that day. They don't exchange numbers, they all just kind of go their separate ways. About a week later, Anna convinces Andrea they should go visit March at Shubi. She's certain there's something there. An employee in the management office tells them he was out in the campground somewhere. They look around for a while, but no luck. A few days later, Andrea runs into him again in Shubi when she's out for a run with Cooper. He's more flirtatious this time. They exchange numbers, he asks her to go for a walk with him.
SPEAKER_04We walked uh to the other end of the park, so from the campground park to um another bridge it's far away. It was probably 10 kilometers that he walked, and you know, I walked pretty fast, and he claimed to be very athletic. He said he biked across Canada to raise money for charity.
SPEAKER_08But Marge is having trouble keeping up with Andrea. He's breathing heavily and lagging behind, barely able to carry on a conversation. I thought you said you were athletic.
SPEAKER_06I've got Kron's disease. Sorry. I get flare up sometimes.
SPEAKER_10Ah, well, now I feel like a jerk. I'm sorry to hear that. I bet smoking doesn't help either.
SPEAKER_06Been wanting to quit. I'm gonna quit.
SPEAKER_04Uh I don't think he was prepared to walk 10 kilometers. Later on, I found out uh from another person at the campground that he he uh went home after that and he had uh blisters all over his feet and he was like in lots of pain, I guess.
SPEAKER_08Andrea slows down a bit. March asks her a million questions. Her plans for the adventure retreat, her hopes and dreams, her job, her past relationships. She's never had someone be so attentive. After their walk, they go for ice cream at the Funky Monkey ice cream hut. March tells her about his retirement plan. He says he worked for a company in Alberta called Precision Drilling for over 20 years. There was a man named Marchie Bear who worked there.
SPEAKER_04So he said he worked uh on the oil rigs and that he owned a company called Canyon Offshore, and that he did extremely well in investing in cryptocurrency in marijuana. So he said he's he doesn't have to work another day in his life, but that he did have a five-year plan to retire from the oil rigs and run the campground and the youth at risk facility and help his stepmom.
SPEAKER_08He says his stepmom Marsha, who runs Shubi Campground, is the only family he has. Although his mentor Cal and his longtime best friend Mike Martin are his chosen family. They both live in Vancouver. Mart shows Andrea pictures of Mike and Cal, his house in Vancouver, his baby blue Aston Martin, and his beloved dog Roxy, who he was trying to get custody of from his ex-girlfriend Faye. Andrea understands his heartbreak. She is a dog lover, after all. After that first date, Andrea ends up cracking two ribs while working her shift at the firehouse. March insists on helping her around the house. His friend JB would drive him over to her place in a beat-up old Chevy. March always has a Tim Hortons coffee in hand.
SPEAKER_04He would drink their coffee breakfast there all the time, and uh he would order he said he had his Crohn's. He had got Crohn's, and then he would eat this food, and I would I'd be like, I think that can't be good for Crohn's.
SPEAKER_08March fixes her lattice, cleans her eaves trough, even washes her dishes. When he's in over there helping, he's texting constantly. Andrea is impressed with March. He's sensitive and caring. He's helping her so much while trying to juggle multiple jobs. The retreat center for at-risk youth is taking up a lot of March's time.
SPEAKER_03He shows me the phases of the work, diagrams, layouts, sketches, quotes, the water supply system. He took phone calls, and he uh discussed the construction. Uh he was proud of how the facility would be off the grid, and how he was keeping a small family-owned business alive for five years with his huge plans. Umotely off the oil rig. And he worked and did work and took phone calls and had laptops and did good stuff.
SPEAKER_08They talk more about the At-Risk Youth Center. Andrea has a lot of ideas. This is her dream. She has vision boards going back 15 years. Andrea has thoughts about activities, how to structure the days, even the food they would serve.
SPEAKER_04And he, you know, he would give me undivided attention. Like the world could be collapsing around him, and he would focus on you. And uh he agreed with every one of my perspectives and continually complimented me.
SPEAKER_08As their relationship grows over the next several weeks, the retreat center becomes a mutual dream, something they begin planning together. Andrea starts inviting March to her charity events. She's involved with local big brothers, big sisters. March meets Andrea's friends at these events, mostly cops and fellow firefighters.
SPEAKER_04He would actually go around and tell my friend that he has the money and has the construction background to build the facility, but I had the brains and the experience to run the impactful camp that will help all these kids. And he went on and on and on and on.
SPEAKER_08Andrea's friends are impressed with March. He has a special energy. And more importantly, he treats Andrea well. He seems to know her worth.
SPEAKER_04They thought he was thoughtful and caring because he would like be so kind to me and be attentive to me. They thought uh he was a sweetheart. And that he was smart. They all said he's a fantastic conversationalist. I mean very charming and so they all liked him.
SPEAKER_08In the first weeks after they meet, March is constantly on the phone with his subcontractors, planning and dealing with a new stress or added expense for the center. He frequently drives up to the site in Digby with his mentee, JB. One day in late August, when March gets back from one of these visits, March stops by Andrea's house with a bottle of champagne. He's excited.
SPEAKER_06It's all happening, Andrea. They started clearing the lot in Digby! Check out these pictures! That's amazing!
SPEAKER_10I would love to come and see it sometime.
SPEAKER_06Oh, you will. Seriously. Where have you been all my life? You are beautiful.
SPEAKER_08They sleep together for the first time that night. As they lay in Andrea's bed, they talk about plans for the center. I can't believe this is really it.
SPEAKER_10This is gonna help so many people.
SPEAKER_06We're going to build this thing together, Andrea. I'm telling you, this would be such a great investment opportunity for you. You could get in underground. I can't do this without you. You've already been giving me so many ideas.
SPEAKER_10You mean invest? No. No, no. No. If you need money, there's all kinds of grants. Crime prevention grants. There's so many organizations I give you money for this. I've already done all the research. I can just give you a list.
SPEAKER_06Oh no, no, no, no. I I don't need any money. I just thought you wanted to invest, you know? So you felt like it was really yours.
SPEAKER_08That night, Andrea witnesses March have the first of what became many night terrors, where he would scream and thrash in his sleep. She said it seemed like he was running from something. He chalked it up to his traumatic childhood. In September of 2018, Andrea and March start seeing each other more regularly, and he's growing increasingly smitten with her.
SPEAKER_04He made me feel like I was definitely in a Hallmark movie. You know, he said uh things like, You're perfect, you're beautiful, I love your eyes, you know, where have you been my entire life? I've never clicked with anyone this way before. I've never felt this way before. I've never had such a deep connection, never missed anyone more, never wanted anyone more. You make me a better person that I was a soulmate, and that even though it's so early in our relationship, he thinks he's fallen in love with me.
SPEAKER_08He gets Andrea to download WhatsApp. He has three cell phones, two for work and one personal. They don't talk on the phone much, but he loves to text.
SPEAKER_04He sent tons of messages to me all the time asking me how I'm doing, and like it seemed like he was genuinely interested in everything about me, you know, and every message had like little kisses on it. And uh, you know, if we were in a car and there's a cute song going on and there's some kind of mushy part, he'd sing that little part. And you know, he left notes everywhere for me, like little notes of encouragement and kindness and and things like that in my car, in my in my cup, in um under my plate, uh in in my glove box.
SPEAKER_08March brings her around Shubi Campground where he's living. They would have these massive bonfires, and he was literally like a celebrity.
SPEAKER_04Everybody knew him, everybody wanted to say, come on and have a drink, and you know, oh hey, hello, hello. You know, he's a master conversationalist, so he talked with everybody about everything. And he allowed them to initiate the conversations and he asked questions to people. And people just love talking about themselves and about their stuff, you know. He asked questions about their uh motorcycles, their campers. He just fit in everywhere.
SPEAKER_08He shows her his brand new 2018 RV. It's beautiful inside, state of the art. He finally introduces Andrea to his stepmom, Marsha, who, if you remember, owns the campground. Marsha tells Andrea she heard a lot about her. Andrea thinks she seems lovely, but they don't talk much. March says Marcia's been a bit cranky lately because of her finances. She isn't happy about having to sell the campground to him. One night at Shubi after a bonfire, they're sitting under the stars. He kisses her. It's a perfect evening in mid-September. March sheepishly asks if Andrea is his girlfriend.
SPEAKER_04And I actually said, Well, I don't like to label things. So I mean it wasn't like love at first sight and I'm all in. It was like he had to work at it for some time.
SPEAKER_08So March keeps working at it. In late September, he takes her out for dinners. They go for drinks with her friends. He always pays in cash. They even start ramping up their plans for the retreat center.
SPEAKER_04He made me feel fantastic, important, smart, beautiful, wanted, needed, and that together we were gonna make the world a better place. That is hard to turn down, and that he has all these assets, and you know, that it wasn't gonna be a problem. We could do whatever is needed to do this facility.
SPEAKER_08Now, Andrea is cautious to jump into anything after her two previous marriages, but her friends encourage her to let her guard down. They think March is a real catch.
SPEAKER_04My friends, I think, were just so happy that I was actually dating someone. You know, I really think it pained them that I was single.
SPEAKER_13I just saw that they seemed very happy. Uh they seem both of them seemed very, very happy. That's Anna again. You know, and they could tell that they were spending a lot of time together. Things to me seem to be going along quite smoothly.
SPEAKER_08March tells Andrea he wants to settle down and have a family. Traveling for work has made long-term relationships hard. His last relationship left him heartbroken. He was madly in love with his ex, Faye, but she was an alcoholic and it didn't work out. However, he had finally convinced Faye to let him have their dog, Roxy. She agreed to have her ship to Ontario. Andrea's fears of getting into a relationship are now starting to dissipate. Her marriages had relegated her to the role of caregiver. But she could tell this wouldn't happen with March. He was a caregiver too. She could tell by the way he was with his mentee, JB.
SPEAKER_04He always said to me that JB had a gambling problem, and that's why he managed JB's money.
SPEAKER_08JB lives on Shubi campground with March. One night at a bonfire, March tells her he's been helping JB get a job in the oil fields. He's helping him turn his life around. He was saving him from gambling away all of his money. March was helping JB the way his own mentor Cal had helped him. JB didn't say much though. His English was non-existent, but he always nodded along when March would talk about him. By early October, things start to get more serious between March and Andrea. They start seeing each other every second day. Andrea's days off work. Even though she's extremely busy, March starts spending the night more and more, taking care of things at her place. It starts to feel like he's almost living there.
SPEAKER_10We need to get you a toothbrush for my place. You're here so often.
SPEAKER_06Maybe I should just move in. I miss you whenever I'm not with you. Come here.
SPEAKER_10Think about it. Um maybe. But but we'd have to have an agreement. I would never live with someone again without one.
SPEAKER_06Like a legal agreement? Yeah, whatever you need.
SPEAKER_08Andrea's second marriage had ended a few years back. They had something called a cohabitation agreement, which is essentially a legal contract for how to deal with issues when you live together and at the end of your relationship. Things like how to divide property and debts if things don't work out. So March and Andrea don't move in together just yet, but they do make plans to go to Vancouver to meet his best friend, Mike Martin, and see his house before he sells it. Mike had just left for a backpacking trip and wouldn't be back for about a month. Andrea and March are just looking into dates in November, but hadn't booked anything yet. When March gets some terrible news.
SPEAKER_04So then I'm at work the next day and he calls me. When I'm at work, I work for 24 hours and I can't leave work. He called me, he said he was really sick, he was having a terrible Crohn's attack. And in you know, weeks leading up to this, and the whole time I knew him, he talked about his terrible Crohn's. And he says, I'm having an attack, but I don't have my wallet. I can't go to the bank. I can't access anything. I I'll as soon as I get my ID, I'll pay you back. Just I just need $1,500 to get this medication. And then he said, um, oh, in Nova Scotia, it costs more. It's like $2,000. And so I gave him $2,000. Then he said, I needed uh a second dose. The first dose didn't work. And so then he he recovered after that.
SPEAKER_08A week later, on October 23rd, 2018, Andrea invites some friends over for a pumpkin carving contest. Andrea goes with a classic jack-o'-lantern. Sinister eyes and jagged teeth.
SPEAKER_12This is pretty good, March. Who is this?
SPEAKER_06This is my precious baby girl, Roxy. Here, check out a picture of her.
SPEAKER_12It looks just like her. So cute.
SPEAKER_06It's so detailed. This knife is so perfect for carving. Check out the blade on it.
SPEAKER_12So sharp. Be careful.
SPEAKER_06Handcrafted by a blacksmith in Vietnam. It's one of a kind.
SPEAKER_10Ha! That's not a knife. I'll show you a knife. Check this out.
SPEAKER_12Wow, that makes yours look like a butter knife, March.
SPEAKER_06Oh my god. Why would you have a knife like that?
SPEAKER_08Because when I need to do something, I'm gonna do it right. The next day, March's replacement ID still hasn't come, but he has to drive to Ontario to pick up Roxy from his ex.
SPEAKER_10You can't drive without a license. You might get pulled over.
SPEAKER_06Don't worry, JB's going to drive.
SPEAKER_10Okay. So I've E transferred you the money for the trip. When are you gonna be back? I'm working Friday and Sunday this weekend.
SPEAKER_06Uh come here. Are you going to miss me?
SPEAKER_10You're only gonna be gone for a couple of days.
SPEAKER_06I'm going to miss you. Aren't you going to miss me?
SPEAKER_10Yeah, fine. I'm gonna miss you.
SPEAKER_06Are you going to cry?
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_08Very funny. The next day, March leaves for Ontario to pick up Roxy. Two days after that, Andrea gets an email. A strange email.
SPEAKER_04The email he said he was gonna be late because um his dog was late coming in, so uh he had to stay the night. And um, so I knew him as March Hubert. The email came as March Vatour, and he's and I said, What's what's up with this? And he said, It's my business partner's email. We share, it's my my first name and his last name, and I knew immediately I had been ripped off. Immediately, nobody shares his email.
SPEAKER_08Andrea emails him again.
SPEAKER_04And I was like, I you know, I want my money, and he's like, Yeah, yeah, I'll get you your money, no worries. Um, and then he tried to make me feel guilty about it, right? And he was trying to say, Oh, he, you know, he just made a mistake or something. He's uh under stress because his um his mentor is ill, and you know, he's trying to get his dog, and he's got all this stuff going on with business, and uh how how can you not trust me and you know um try and make me feel guilty and everything?
SPEAKER_08Andrea doesn't take the bait, but makes one last-itch effort.
SPEAKER_04I told him that I won the 649 come and celebrate because he's about money. More money. So I figured he'd want to try and get more money from me if I won that money. I even sent him pictures of the ticket.
SPEAKER_08In the end, March gets $5,000 of Andreas Peranza's money.
SPEAKER_04I never heard from him again. When I was saying goodbye to him at the very the the last encounter I had with him, and he was leaving, and he asked me, Are you gonna miss me? I thought to myself, well, that's an odd quote. Like, is he joking? Because I work 24 hours on and I don't see him, and he was only going to pick up the dog and come back. And then he said, Oh, are you gonna cry? And I actually laughed out loud. You know what? He wasn't joking. Because what he meant was, Yes, you're gonna cry because I scammed you good. I took your money, and I'm gonna ghost you.
SPEAKER_08It was 11:30 p.m. when Andrea realizes what had happened. She's in shock. Her mind is racing a mile a minute.
SPEAKER_13Well, I I'm I'm sitting here and it's close to midnight, and I get a text uh from Andrea. She said, You still up? I said, Yes. She said, Can I call you?
SPEAKER_09Hello, Andrea? Hey, sorry to be calling so late. What's going on? Is everything okay? It's about March. Oh no. What happened? He's married, isn't he? No, no. It's worse. He stole my money. He's gone.
SPEAKER_10No. Oh my god. He lied about his name, probably about everything.
SPEAKER_09He sent me an email with a different name. He he got me good. Andrea. You have to go to the police. Yeah. Oh my god. The ad-rescue facility? Oh, I think that was all bullshit.
SPEAKER_08But how could March have known about Andrea's plans for the retreat center? They met by chance at Tim Horton's that day. Didn't they?
SPEAKER_04He knew my dream in advance. He knew me. I'm confident he researched me. I I'm, you know, many people know me, not only because I exercise in the park uh every day, but because I'm I'm involved in so many things, I'm community-minded.
SPEAKER_13I don't know if he saw her, watched her park, look at her license plate, because her license plate says firefighter. And uh, but I don't know how he would personally get information about her unless he asked around.
SPEAKER_04I'm sure somebody gave him the lowdown on me. She's a you know, uh a firefighter and community, you know, minded she's got this camp and you know, she's single and that. And then if you just Google my name, there's things that come up that tell him all the information he needs to know. I think he he felt I'd be an easy target, you know, con people, um, generally only con people who are caring.
SPEAKER_08Anna and Andrea go over their first meeting with March back in August.
SPEAKER_13I consider my friend very bright. I didn't pick up on anything that was unauthentic. I I genuinely believed when he started to cry a little bit, I believed him. It seemed so real. What a great actor he was. This is what he does. This is his job. He has perfected his art to such a degree you can't see through it because he has he's he's done such an amazing job at wearing this mask.
SPEAKER_08Still, Anna can't get over that she had encouraged their relationship.
SPEAKER_13She did not deserve to be used by someone like that piece of you know, um uh unpleasantness. Uh, she didn't deserve that. And she wasn't even like she was out there looking and dating and online. Like, you know how some people are out there and they'll date anybody and they're always online looking and such none of that. She's never done any of that, you know, and never had to do any of that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, she felt very bad because she she thought, you know, he was the man of my dreams and that he would be the best, you know, the perfect person for me, you know. She she you know has the biggest heart and uh she's she felt terrible. Like she said, I encouraged you and I just it's got nothing to do with you or me, really. He's a criminal, so it's not your fault, it's not my fault.
SPEAKER_13You know, honestly, what I was thinking could have been me. I was thinking, man, did I ever dodge a bullet there? Because I was thinking, what if he had put his whole thing on me?
SPEAKER_08Andrea begins going through every interaction she had with March over the last three months.
SPEAKER_04I basically gave him the whole playbook of how to rip me off, probably how to how to woo me. You know, he and he he asked me all the questions, and I thought, oh, he's genuinely interested in me. I've I've never had anyone so interested in me.
SPEAKER_03He gets in your head and just he just finds out what you're about and feeds you that and just whatever you like, he likes, and he worships your ground, and then well, why wouldn't you want to be in a relationship with somebody like that?
SPEAKER_04He initiates uh a relationship and shapes his stories based on uh my strengths and my weaknesses, and then he invested time and effort and money to gain my trust while he created his multi-layered investment scheme, and then he tried the romance scheme, and then it ended up with the illness scheme. The thought of me being ripped off before this, that point, was was never never crossed my mind. I thought he had, you know, that nice trailer, that uh he had all these assets, he was worked at this place, had this business, had the the um youth at risk uh investment. And the whole thing leading up to him getting the money from me, it's quite ingenious how he had like phases. So a couple weeks before he needed the medication, he told me his best friend was going to be out of the country for several weeks and can't be reached.
SPEAKER_08He also said from the beginning that he was estranged from his parents. His stepmom was the only family he had.
SPEAKER_04Other than his stepmom was Cal that mentored him and helped him and made him the man he is today. And then his best friend Mike, who did everything with him for his whole life. So now he's telling me his best friend Mike is gone away. And then a week before his attack, he said his mentor was hospitalized for major heart surgery and that he was very stressed out that he likely won't survive. And he didn't get money from his stepmom because he he said he was already financially helping her, and he was already financially helping his friend JB. You know, maybe I should have asked him more questions and talked more to his stepmom. Um, you know, and I should have gone to Digby. I was so busy. Oh, and it was just land he was breaking, and it was just like clearing woods and paving. So I was like, well, why do I have to I don't have to go see that?
SPEAKER_08The slow build, the consistency, the corroboration.
SPEAKER_04So, you know, uh Marcia was involved in the con. JB was involved in the con.
SPEAKER_08But why would Marcia and JB lie for March? What were they getting out of it? These are the questions that run through Andreas Brands' mind the night she finds out she's been tricked. She doesn't sleep that night. After she gets off the phone with Anna, she goes online, hoping to find something on March Votour.
SPEAKER_04I researched his new name and I came across a Facebook account, and I was like, oh, it's his name. Excellent. And then I looked out, oh my god, that's a picture that he showed me. And then I looked down and it said, beware, this man isn't who he claims to be. And I was like, oh my god. And uh I messengered that person, and it was a it was a victim who lost more money than me, and I spoke to her, and then it we were FaceTiming, and then and I thought her story, you know, was profound, and um then she said, Hold on, another girl came on, and her she lost a lot more money, and her story was even more profound, and I was like Oh my god, this is crazy.
SPEAKER_08The other victims tell her his real name. Marcel Andre Vautour.
SPEAKER_04That night I couldn't sleep. You know, I could see their face, these girls' faces and their emotions, and and I was thinking, man, this guy has taken not only their money, but their self-respect and their hopes and their dreams and their faith in people, their faith in their own decision making, and he is gonna continue to do this and he needs to be stopped.
SPEAKER_08Andrea went to counseling after what happened. She enrolled in self-defense classes and installed full surveillance at her home. She got tested for sexually transmitted diseases and distributed flyers all over Dartmouth warning people about this man. Andrea also filed a police report, but soon discovered there would be no justice there.
SPEAKER_04If a dozen people in provinces across the country that don't know each other all claim the same thing, then that's organized crime. Even when I filed, they're saying, Well, you can file, but there's nothing we can do about it. But I still filed. So he's not in jail because he knows the legal system and he's smart and he knows human nature, how people act and react, and he knows all the loopholes. He also benefits from the fact that his victims feel alone, scared, resources, and embarrassed, so they're less likely to take him to task.
SPEAKER_08There's also the issue of police not taking these crimes seriously.
SPEAKER_04Because the police aren't doing anything about it if you report it even. So why go through the embarrassment and the hassle if they're just gonna say, you know, figure it out on your own.
SPEAKER_13I mean, she had a small amount, but some of those ladies lost their homes, lost all their savings. They need justice.
SPEAKER_04People say, Oh, you know, um, it'll it'll never happen to me. It's just, you know, these stupid women that are giving their money away. I never in a million years thought this would happen to me. And in fact, when I told my friends this happened to me, they were like, You got to be kidding me.
SPEAKER_13Yeah, you of all people, you it could happen to anybody because this is an educated woman, this is a professional woman. This happens to doctors, this happens to lawyers, this happens to anybody in any field you can imagine. You meet somebody, you you connect with them, they're genuine. And if you think it can't happen to you, you're very naive and it's only a matter of time before it will.
SPEAKER_04How could you not be a psychopath? How could you ruin so many people's lives and not care and just in and walk away? And you know, to me it's not even so much about the money, it's about the the deepness of the con within the relationship, you know? It's dark evil.
SPEAKER_13You know, they say a really good liar puts some truths in there to make it right, to make it easier and make the story more believable because he has conviction about that because he knows it's true.
SPEAKER_08We know about the many lies March Sputton. But was anything he told Andrea real? The dog? His work on the rigs? His troubled childhood? Anything?
SPEAKER_04I believe his primary source of income is his fraudulent activities. He still does have to do some work on the side to uh transition. And so uh, you know, I know he's a handyman of some sort. What I know about his life is that it's very sad. He's jobless, friendless. His family disowned him. I mean, he must not even know who he is because he's so busy being everybody else. Uh, and he must not like who he is because he's being everybody else, and you know, he's just empty and he's always gotta look over his shoulder. What you know, what kind of life is that? Isn't it easier to earn a living than to do that?
SPEAKER_08Andrea thinks this way because in his sea of victims, she knows she's one of the lucky ones.
SPEAKER_04I just wasn't all in, and I that that's what makes it easier for me.
SPEAKER_08But some of the other women Andrea found on Facebook weren't so lucky.
SPEAKER_04I think they were in love with him. Um or they liked him more than I liked him.
SPEAKER_03And the other ladies he got passwords onto their computers and in their home security systems and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_08On the next episode of Catch Hem If You Can.
SPEAKER_07I felt like I'd been brainwashed. How could I let this happen? I was like, what the hell's wrong with me? This is not my character, none of it's my character. And I feel like I failed myself, I feel like I failed my marriage.
SPEAKER_04And you know, I worry that someone's gonna take the law into their own hands.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, we're gonna get the f or we don't care how we're gonna get 'em, we're gonna get 'em.
SPEAKER_08Catch 'em If You Can is created and produced by Pink Moon Studio in partnership with Frequency Podcast Network. It's written and reported by me, your host, Amelia King, and Maggie Reed. Evan King is our post-production supervisor. Chris Rennick is our editor. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Catch Em Pod.