Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft in Scheme to Defraud Retirement Accounts

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a scheme to steal personal information and bank account numbers to withdraw money from retirement accounts.

Kevin Marseille, 26, pleaded guilty to identity theft, access device fraud, and conspiracy to commit those offenses. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2017.

In 2014, Marseille approached Jasmine Banks, who, at the time, worked as a customer service employee at Mercer, Inc., in Norwood, Mass. Marseille used Banks to obtain personally identifiable information and bank account information for individuals whose retirement accounts were administered by Mercer, a New York-based company, which provides consulting and related services for employers, including administration of retirement benefit plans.

From approximately February 2014 to April 2014, Banks accessed customer account information from her computer and provided this information to Marseille via email. Marseille obtained the names, addresses, and bank account and routing numbers for approximately 270 Mercer account holders. In many cases, he also obtained account holders’ dates of birth and social security numbers. He further sought and obtained detailed account access information, including usernames, answers to password-reset questions, and detailed instructions about how to access and withdraw funds from four retirement accounts with substantial balances.

The retirement account information was used to load a prepaid card with nearly $20,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. Marseille then used the prepaid card to purchase electronic goods and other products at retailers, including Target and Best Buy. Intervention by Mercer and law enforcement prevented further account access and withdrawals. Mercer has cooperated fully with the government’s investigation.

In March 2016, Banks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, 2017.

The charge of identity theft provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of access device fraud and conspiracy each provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. D’Addio of Weinreb’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case.