Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Aggrevated Identity Theft

            CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Deandray Buckley, 27, of Belleville, Michigan, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, Buckley was part of an interstate scheme with others to steal people’s personal identifying information, including social security numbers and bank account information.  Buckley obtained this identification information from his accomplices and online and then used it to obtain fake driver’s licenses with other people’s identifying information and his or an accomplice’s photograph.  Buckley and an accomplice used the fake driver’s licenses to impersonate bank customers and withdraw or attempt to withdraw money from those bank customers’ accounts.  When entering a bank branch, Buckley or an accomplice wore slings on their arms or bandaged their fingers together in case bank tellers asked why the signature on the withdrawal slip did not match the account owners’ signature on file at the bank. 

            Between October 2017 and February 2018, Buckley or an accomplice entered over 17 bank branches in New Hampshire, Kansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Rhode Island and stole or attempted to steal over $90,000 from other people’s bank accounts.  On February 27, 2018, Buckley was arrested by the Salem, New Hampshire Police Department after attempting to withdraw $6,000 from another person’s bank account at a Citizen’s Bank branch in Salem.  Branch employees recognized Buckley from previous internal fraud alerts, denied the transaction, and called the police.  In addition to identifying information from the known fraud victims, Buckley and an accomplice’s cell phones contained bank account information or social security numbers of at least 52 other individuals.

            Buckley pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.  He will be sentenced on June 25, 2019. 

            Another alleged participant in the scheme is charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            “Identify theft and fraud crimes cause very real damage to their victims,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “We take these fraud crimes very seriously and work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute fraudsters who victimize citizens of the Granite State.”

            “The deliberate use of someone else’s identity for financial gain creates considerable impacts for victims,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Inspector in Charge, Joseph W. Cronin of the Boston Division.  “The loss of time and money among other things, can be devastating.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to work diligently to keep our customer’s personal information secure.”  

            This matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Overland Park Kansas Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter from the District of New Hampshire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley from the District of Kansas.

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