Denver Man Sentenced to 44 Months Imprisonment and $200,000 Restitution After Conviction for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Harrel Keeling, 44, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced today for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.  United States District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Keeling to a 44-month total term of imprisonment, followed by a 5-year total term of supervised release, and ordered Keeling to pay $200,000 in restitution to the victim of his offense. 

According to Court records, on January 2, 2019, Keeling and a coconspirator flew from Denver to Burlington.  The next day, Keeling obtained a driver’s license in the name of D.P from the Vermont DMV, after presenting a legitimate birth certificate for D.P. and fraudulent supporting materials.  After obtaining the identification in D.P.’s name, Keeling went to the Citizens Bank branch in Burlington, Vermont, where he obtained an $180,000 teller check from D.P.’s business account.  Keeling and his coconspirator also visited a Citizens Bank branch in South Burlington, where Keeling withdrew an additional $8,000 in cash.  Keeling and his coconspirator traveled to the Mohegan Sun Casino, where they utilized the fraudulently obtained $180,000 teller check to establish a front-money account.  Keeling and his coconspirator then laundered the fraud proceeds through casino chips over the following days.  Keeling and his coconspirator withdrew additional currency in Connecticut, then traveled to New York City, and flew back to Denver shortly thereafter.  On January 31, 2019, Keeling was arrested in Aurora, Colorado on a federal warrant issued by the United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Vermont.  When Keeling was arrested, he was found to be in possession of approximately $7,500 in cash and $12,900 in postal money orders which he had obtained in New York City.  A federal seizure warrant recovered an additional $151,697 of funds from Keeling’s bank accounts, which will be used toward restitution.

United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the investigative efforts of the United States Secret Service; the Mohegan Tribal Police; and the Burlington Police Department, in the successful arrest and prosecution of Keeling.

Keeling was represented by Ian Carlton, Esq. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt.