A Connecticut man faces up to three decades federal prison after pleading guilty this week to bank fraud, Social Security number fraud and to aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank said in a news release that Mark Pignatello, 54, of Kent, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to the charges Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
According to court records, in late October 2018, Pignatello traveled across Maine and New Hampshire, where he visited several branches of People’s United Bank.
At each stop, Pignatello passed or attempted to pass counterfeit checks made out to other people. He used Social Security numbers and other personal information of the victims to impersonate them. He also used counterfeit driver’s licenses bearing his image but containing the victims’ personal information.
Pignatello was apprehended by police outside the branch of People’s United Bank in the Penobscot County town of Newport.
Frank said that Pignatello, who will be sentenced at a later date, could face up to 30 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine on the bank fraud charge alone. He is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of two years on the aggravated identity theft charge. The Social Security number fraud charge carries a fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by Maine State Police and the U.S. Secret Service.
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