New York Man Accused of Bank Fraud, Stolen Identities in Boston, Elsewhere in Massachusetts.
NY Man Accused Of Bank Fraud, Stolen Identities In Boston
The arrest was made on November 6, 2023, and signals the culmination of an investigation that began in August 2022.
The authorities at LaGuardia Airport apprehended Bontiffe for trying to evade Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checks with a fake California driver’s license.The name on the license coincided with one of his alleged victims in Massachusetts.
This arrest disclosed Bontiffe’s supposed fraud scheme in July 2022, leading to the loss of $13,800 from his victims’ accounts.
Reportedly, Bontiffe’s fraudulent activities spanned multiple banks, with nine attempts on three different Massachusetts residents’ accounts.
In a specific incident on July 20, 2022, Bontiffe entered a North Andover TD Bank branch.
The charges assert he produced a U.S. passport and a Discover credit card, both bearing the name of an unknowing Massachusetts resident.
His attempted withdrawal of $4,500 failed due to a signature mismatch, but he managed to escape even though the fake documents were confiscated by the bank.
As for Bontiffe, the legal repercussions, if convicted, are severe.
The accusations against him include fraud, using a fake passport, and aggravated identity theft, which can result in sentences ranging from two to 30 years imprisonment, supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
Following this case, several officials, including Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Matthew O’Brien of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and Paul Creazzo from the Mamaroneck Police Department stressed the significance of cooperative efforts in apprehending Bontiffe. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm. However, the allegations specified in the charging documents are just that, allegations, and every accused individual should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
