Worcester Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Purchasing MBTA Passes Using Others' Identities

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in connection with using stolen identities to fraudulently purchase over $150,000 in MBTA passes.    

Kokou Kuakumensah, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Kuakumensah was also ordered to pay $157,143 in restitution. On July 21, 2021, Kuakumensah pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

Between approximately January 2019 and March 2020, Kuakumensah used other individuals’ credit card accounts to fraudulently purchase Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail passes. Kuakumensah purchased the passes using stolen credit card numbers at MBTA fare kiosks. Kuakumensah then re-sold these fraudulently-obtained passes for less than their face value in a variety of ways, including advertising them on Craigslist. Kuakumensah sold the passes at MBTA stations, including the station in Grafton. The combined value of the passes Kuakumensah fraudulently obtained was approximately $157,000. 

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Chief Kenneth Green of the MBTA Transit Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Mendell’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.