Federal Jury Convicts Howland Man of Passport Fraud

BANGOR, Maine: A Howland man was found guilty on October 16, 2025, of making false statements on a passport application, following a three-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor. 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Eric Ericson, 73, applied for a U.S. passport at a U.S. Post Office in Bangor on March 24, 2023. When asked about any other names he had used, Ericson failed to disclose his multiple aliases on his passport application. Ericson also falsely reported that he had never applied for or been issued a U.S. passport before, when in fact he had previously applied for and obtained a passport under a different name. He falsely certified that the information in his application was true and correct.

Ericson faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Diplomatic Security Service Portsmouth Resident Office investigated the case with assistance from the Maine State Police.

Editor’s Note:
This matter occurred on the date indicated, but the press release was not published at that time due to the federal government shutdown. The release was posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

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