Antonio Niati, Bank Account Impersonation, MA 2024

BOSTON – A brazen scheme to fleece bank customers out of over $640,000 culminated today with a guilty plea from Antonio Niati, 28, of Lynn, Massachusetts. Niati admitted to orchestrating a plot that involved impersonating account holders and illegally withdrawing funds from their Santander Bank accounts.

Niati pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf. Sentencing is scheduled for August 14, 2019. The indictment and subsequent arrest of Niati occurred in September 2018, but the details of the operation are only now fully coming to light.

The operation, launched in 2017, hinged on a crucial inside connection: a Santander Bank teller stationed at a Dorchester branch. Niati actively recruited this teller to facilitate the fraudulent transactions, leveraging their position to bypass security measures. On three separate occasions in April 2017, an accomplice utilized counterfeit driver’s licenses to access the accounts of two unsuspecting Santander customers. The teller’s assistance was vital to the success of each withdrawal.

The scope of the fraud is significant. Niati and his co-conspirators successfully pilfered over $640,000 from the victim’s accounts. The operation demonstrates a calculated disregard for the financial well-being of the victims, and a willingness to exploit the trust placed in a financial institution. The investigation, led by the FBI’s Boston Field Division, revealed a meticulous plan designed to maximize profit and minimize risk – until today.

The potential penalties for Niati’s crimes are substantial. The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, along with five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Adding to that, the aggravated identity theft charge mandates a consecutive two-year prison sentence, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. However, the final sentence will be determined by Judge Wolf, taking into consideration U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Boston Field Division, jointly announced the guilty plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Balthazard of Lelling’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case, signaling a continued focus on combating financial crimes in the Massachusetts district. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing.