News

TORONTO - The RCMP have stepped up a search for a fugitive who's believed to be hiding in Toronto after escaping from a B.C. prison.

Omid Tahvili, 40, is sought on warrants by the RCMP for escaping custody and by the FBI for allegedly scamming $3 million from U.S. seniors in a telemarketing scheme.

He is on a FBI Top 10 Most Wanted list.

Tahvili, who the FBI said might be hiding in Toronto, was an owner and operator of a Vancouver telemarketing business that ran from 1999 to 2002.

"The suspect has been evading police for three years," RCMP Sgt. Marc LaPorte said Monday. "He is a scam artist who is trying to hide his identity."

He said Tahvili, who was born in Iran, will be returned to B.C. to face new charges and finish his jail term. He then faces extradition to the U.S.