Lake Preston Man Sentenced for Aggravated Identity Theft and Making False Statements in a Passport Application

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lake Preston man was sentenced for aggravated identity theft and making a false statement on November 22, 2011, by US District Judge Charles B. Kornmann in Aberdeen. Arthur James Maurello, a/k/a Roger Allen Bothe, a/k/a Edward Heller, a/k/a John Foran, a/k/a Douglas Maurello, a/k/a Clifford Von Ostenbridge, a/k/a Robert Burdette, a/k/a Alan Miller, age 63, was sentenced to a total of 58 months in custody to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was also fined $10,000.

Maurello was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 3, 2011, and charged with three counts of making a false statement, three counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of making false statements in a passport application, two counts of misuse of a Social Security number, and two counts of possession of the identification of another person. He pled guilty to two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of making false statements in a passport application on August 8, 2011.

A federal investigation was prompted when Maurello used another person’s identity in an application for a U.S. passport. The investigation revealed that between 2003 and 2010, Maurello had assumed multiple identities, some involving deceased individuals. Maurello is a disbarred attorney from New Jersey and has previously been convicted of mail and credit card fraud.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Chicago Field Office. Assistant US Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.

Maurello was immediately turned over to the custody of the US Marshal.