Steven Ware, a 63-year-old man from Yonkers, New York, has been charged with bank fraud and identity theft after allegedly stealing an $810,000 tax refund check by impersonating a corporate executive in Connecticut.
According to federal authorities, Ware opened bank accounts in the name of a Connecticut company and one of its managing partners at a credit union in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, in December 2023. He then deposited a United States Treasury check payable to the company and the managing partner for $810,337.68.
Once the check cleared, Ware allegedly used a debit card to withdraw money from the account to buy goods at various retailers in New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. He returned to the Tyngsborough credit union several times and wired more than $634,000 of the stolen funds.
Ware was arrested yesterday in Yonkers and made an initial appearance in federal court in New York. He was released on conditions.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two years in prison, in addition to any sentence imposed for bank fraud, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division, made the announcement today.
Valuable assistance was provided by the Tyngsborough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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