Scammed Out Of $10k And I Have The Scammers Phone Number, Identity, Address, And Family Information.

Location: California (scammer is in New York)

I live in California. The guy I'm dealing with lives in New York. Back in July he got me to put money into his sports betting operation operating under a sole proprietorship. There was a written contract that he drafted and signed on my behalf after I agreed over text. I sent him $10k total across a few payments, and each time he told me my balance was too low to really do anything and pushed me to add more.

Through his phone number, and accounts I sent money to, I am 95% sure no one has stolen his identity. I communicated with him through his primary phone number, where I was able to reverse search and find his personal details.

The contract mostly says there's no guaranteed return and I could lose it all, but the last line above the signatures, in all caps, says it's agreed to be 100% risk free and that I get my money back if it doesn't work out. He put that in on purpose. I have a text where he says he forgot to add the risk free part and would send an updated version. There's also a clause saying the whole thing ends after 14 days unless we sign an extension, and that he returns my money at that point. We never signed an extension.
He sent me updates claiming I was way up, and in August told me my 10k had turned into almost 18k. He never gave me any documentation or account access. Since then he's stopped responding, after a run of excuses including a death in his family and a car accident that put him in a coma. I sent him a written demand for my money with a deadline and he hasn't answered.

From what I gathered he is just 19 and in college. His mom seems like the only realistic way anyone actually pays me.
1. Is it legal for me to send his mom a message, just factual, no threats, telling her about the details of the situation and asking her to have him contact me?
2. Is it even worth suing? Small claims where he lives maxes out at $3k and I'm out $10k. Regular civil court from across the country sounds expensive. There's also an arbitration clause in the contract but the city and state are left blank.