St. Albans Man Charged with Aggravated Identity Theft and Fraud

Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on March 14, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jonathan Whalley, 50, of St. Albans, Vermont, with aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud.

Whalley entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on March 20, 2024 before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Whalley be detained during the pendency of this matter.

According to court records, a Burlington resident reported the theft of several of his identity documents from his vehicle in Burlington in March 2022. In April and May 2022, Whalley used that individual’s identifying information and identity documents to purchase six vehicles in the State of Georgia, finance and insure those vehicles, obtain Vermont vehicle registrations, open a bank account, and create a Gmail account to facilitate the fraud scheme.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Whalley is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Whalley faces a mandatory term of 2 years in prison on the aggravated identity theft charge, up to 20 years in prison on the wire and mail fraud charges, and up to 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charge. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles’ Enforcement and Safety Division (Investigative Section) and Homeland Security Investigations.

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Whalley is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.