A Bronx man admitted to a federal judge his role in a multi-state bank fraud conspiracy, authorities announced Thursday.
Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty in Rhode Island federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in at least 10 states, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said in a news release.
According to documents presented in court, Keenan and an unknown number of co-conspirators obtained photographs and personal identifying information (PII) from individuals they’d recruited, then used that information to create fake IDs.
They also stole the personal information of nearly 30 people and the banking information from at least 20 businesses. The group then used that stolen data to make fake IDs and checks.
Keenan and his co-conspirators then traveled to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and at least eight other states to cash the fraudulent checks. They successfully defrauded 22 banks of just over $93,000, prosecutors said.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.
Keenan pleaded guilty to bank conspiracy fraud on Thursday. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.