Serial Fraudster Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

Has Four Federal Convictions for Similar Crimes

Greenbelt, Maryland – Ronald L. Coleman, age 70, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2018, to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Coleman has four previous federal convictions—one for mail fraud and three for access device fraud and related crimes.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, from at least July 23, 2015 to May 7, 2017, Coleman used the personal identifying information of more than 10 victims to request that financial institutions send replacement credit and debit cards, and to apply for new credit cards.  Coleman had the cards sent to addresses in Baltimore where he lived or had access.  Most of the requests were made by phone and some of those requests were recorded.  When calling financial institutions, Coleman pretended to be the account holder and used the name, birthdate, social security number, address and telephone number of the true account holder, which Coleman had fraudulently obtained and was not authorized to use.  Coleman also admitted that he made some requests online through the Internet. Using the victims’ identifying information, Coleman successfully obtained and sought to obtain more than two dozen credit cards from financial institutions and other entities. 

In addition, in February 2015, Coleman fraudulently obtained a vehicle loan totaling approximately $22,132, which he used to purchase a Mercedes Benz SL.  On the loan documents, Coleman falsely represented that he had resided at an address in Baltimore for 15 years, and had been employed for eight years at a graphics company in “sales.”  In fact, in February 2015 Coleman was completing his sentence for a federal fraud conviction for which he had been incarcerated since December 2011.  Coleman subsequently defaulted on the loan, causing the loan company a loss of approximately $9,600.

Coleman’s fraudulent activities resulted in an actual loss of at least $11,076.34, and an intended loss of more than $39,000.

Coleman and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Coleman will be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for Coleman on January 30, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca and Tamera L. Fine, who are prosecuting the case.