The ‘Wolf of Montreal’ Fugitive Was Building a $9-Million Mansion Based on Iron Man’s House

A Montreal man who made millions of dollars selling fraudulent penny stocks had his heart set on a mansion inspired by everyone's favorite comic book hero and billionaire arms dealer Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.

John Babikian, 28, known as the "Wolf of Montreal" because of his similarities to Jordan Belfort, played by Leo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, has been on the run since being targeted by the Canada Revenue Agency in 2013. He is also wanted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Before he took off, though, Babikian was planning to build a 17,000-square-foot home in Laval, QC with construction costs estimated to be $13 million [$9 million USD], Le Journal de Montreal reports.

The property, set on 61,000 square feet of land, was to include five bedrooms, six bathrooms, three kitchens, a private gym, a cigar lounge, massage parlor, bar, library, outdoor spill pool, and a nine-car garage. (Prior to ghosting, Babikian was spotted riding around in a $1.5-million [$1 million USD]] Bugatti , which is reportedly still MIA.)

This design is actually more ambitious than what many believe is the real-life Tony Stark home, an 11,000-foot San Diego mansion.

Babikian purchased the plot of land, which overlooks Rivière des Prairies, for $2.7 million [$1.9 million USD] four years ago. He was working with Laval developer John Garabedian who told Le Journal de Montreal he's disappointed the over-the-top mansion will never come to fruition.

"I would have still liked to see with my eyes that huge house," he said.

That's a shame, I guess, but it's hard to feel too sorry for a man who made a reported $100 million [$71 million USD] by allegedly ripping people off. Babikian reportedly owes more than $15 million [$11 million USD] to the CRA. Some have speculated that he's hiding out in the UAE.

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