Boston Grifter Marseille Admits Retirement Account Heist

BOSTON – A brazen scheme to pilfer retirement savings unraveled today with the guilty plea of Kevin Marseille, 26, of Boston. Marseille admitted to a multi-faceted identity theft operation targeting vulnerable retirement accounts, ultimately siphoning off nearly $20,000 in stolen funds.

According to court documents, Marseille enlisted the help of Jasmine Banks, a customer service employee at Mercer, Inc. in Norwood, Mass. Between February and April of 2014, Banks abused her position, accessing confidential customer data and funneling it directly to Marseille via email. The information included names, addresses, bank account details, dates of birth, and even Social Security numbers for approximately 270 Mercer account holders. Marseille didn’t stop at basic data; he aggressively pursued detailed account access information, including usernames, security question answers, and specific instructions for withdrawing funds from accounts holding substantial balances.

The stolen information was then used to load a prepaid card with almost $20,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. Marseille wasted no time, using the card to finance a shopping spree at major retailers like Target and Best Buy, purchasing electronics and other goods. Fortunately, swift action by Mercer and law enforcement intervened before Marseille could further exploit the compromised accounts. Mercer officials have fully cooperated with the federal investigation.

This wasn’t a solo operation. Jasmine Banks, 26, previously pleaded guilty in March 2016 to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and identity theft. She is scheduled for sentencing on March 27, 2017. Prosecutors say Banks willingly provided the sensitive data, knowing full well it would be used for illicit purposes.

Kevin Marseille now faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison for the identity theft charge, along with three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 – or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme. The charges of access device fraud and conspiracy each carry a maximum sentence of five years, plus supervised release and the same hefty fine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris has scheduled Marseille’s sentencing for May 31, 2017. It remains to be seen how much time the judge will hand down, but federal guidelines suggest a significant penalty.

The case was spearheaded by Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. D’Addio of Weinreb’s Cybercrime Unit is prosecuting the case, sending a clear message that targeting retirement accounts will not be tolerated. This investigation highlights the growing threat of internal fraud and the importance of robust data security measures.