SALEM, NH – Daniel Buckley, a man from Michigan, is headed to federal prison for three years and three months after pleading guilty to a brazen interstate scheme to defraud banks and steal the identities of dozens of Americans. Buckley, 39 months sentenced for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, orchestrated the operation with accomplices, hitting branches across six states and attempting to pilfer over $90,000.
The scheme, active between October 2017 and February 2018, involved obtaining personal identifying information – social security numbers, bank account details – from both online sources and Buckley’s co-conspirators. This stolen data was then used to create fraudulent driver’s licenses, featuring the stolen identities but with photos of either Buckley or his accomplices. Armed with these fake IDs, the pair would impersonate account holders and attempt to withdraw cash from unsuspecting victims’ accounts.
Court documents reveal a calculated effort to evade detection. Buckley and his accomplice employed a bizarre tactic: wearing slings or bandaging their fingers to obscure their handwriting, hoping to disguise discrepancies between the signature on the withdrawal slip and the signature on file with the bank. The pair targeted branches in New Hampshire, Kansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Rhode Island, leaving a trail of attempted fraud in their wake.
The scheme finally unraveled on February 27, 2018, when Buckley attempted to withdraw $6,000 from a Citizen’s Bank branch in Salem, New Hampshire. Alert branch employees, having received prior internal fraud alerts, recognized Buckley and immediately contacted the Salem Police Department, effectively ending his run. A search of Buckley and his accomplice’s cell phones revealed an even wider scope of the fraud, containing bank account information and social security numbers belonging to at least 52 additional individuals.
“Identity theft crimes can have a devastating impact on victims, including financial losses and disruption of their lives,” stated U.S. Attorney Murray following the sentencing. The U.S. Attorney’s office emphasized the commitment to protecting citizens from such crimes and holding perpetrators accountable. Timothy Benitez, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Manchester office, added that the agency remains “committed to investigating financial crimes including the unauthorized use of personally identifiable information for financial gain.”
The investigation was a coordinated effort involving the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Overland Park, Kansas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley. Inspector in Charge Joseph W. Cronin of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service highlighted the lasting impact of these financial crimes and the agency’s dedication to safeguarding personal information.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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