A Cheektowaga man who vanished into a web of aliases and stolen identities for over two decades has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. Paul Keener, a/k/a Aaron Silverman, a/k/a Paul Robison, a/k/a Scott Walker, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. on one count of aggravated identity theft, closing a chapter on a fugitive life built on lies.
Keener’s criminal trail began in 1996 when he escaped from state custody in Colorado. Within a year, he vanished under a new name—purchasing identification documents tied to a missing man last seen in Virginia in 1993. For $300, Keener bought the dead man’s identity from a Craigslist seller and used it to vanish into the American underground.
From 1995 to the present, Keener cycled through multiple false identities, each backed by forged U.S. passports, driver’s licenses, and Social Security cards. Using these documents, he crossed into Canada, registered to vote, applied for federal student aid, and collected government benefits—all while law enforcement hunted a ghost.
The trail went cold for years until January 2016, when authorities finally pinned down Keener’s presence in Western New York. Federal investigators peeled back layers of deception, uncovering a network of aliases and fraudulent applications that spanned decades and multiple states.
The case was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr. and investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of State, under William Ferrari; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, under Edward J. Ryan; and the United States Marshals Service, under Charles Salina.
Keener’s sentencing marks a rare catch in the shadow world of long-term identity fugitives—men and women who vanish into stolen names, only to resurface when the paperwork catches up. Two years behind bars won’t erase 25 years of deception—but it’s a start.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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