Bronx Man Sentenced to 61 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Identity Theft

            CONCORD - Albert Paulin, 34, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 61 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately August of 2017 to approximately January of 2018, Paulin conspired with others to withdraw money from other person’s bank accounts.  Specifically, Paulin drove runners to a number of bank branches and provided them with false driver’s licenses that contained bank customers’ personal identifying information and the runners’ photographs.  Paulin also provided the runners with the account holders’ bank account number.  The runners then entered the bank branches and withdrew funds from bank accounts with the information provided by Paulin.

           In total, Paulin’s runners successfully withdrew over $109,900 and attempted to withdraw an additional $43,700 from over 19 victims’ bank accounts.  All but three of the accountholders targeted by Paulin’s scheme were New Hampshire residents. 

           Paulin previously pleaded guilty on January 30, 2020.  In addition to his prison sentence, Paulin was ordered to pay $114,400 in restitut

           “Fraud and identify theft are serious crimes that can have very significant impacts on the victims whose identities are stolen or whose accounts are compromised,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “Those who travel to New Hampshire to commit these crimes should understand that we will work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute identity thieves.  The significant sentence imposed on Mr. Paulin demonstrates that federal crimes will have substantial consequences.”                 

            This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the West Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department, Westboro, Massachusetts Police Department, and Springfield, Massachusetts Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hunter.