In a significant legal development, Lester Aceituno, a 40-year-old Georgia resident, has been handed a 30-month prison sentence for his involvement in a complex bank fraud and identity theft operation in New Hampshire. The sentencing, delivered by Chief United States District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty, follows Aceituno’s conviction by a federal jury on November 3, 2023.
Aceituno, along with co-defendants Kizito Chukwujekwu and Chinedu Ihejiere, faced indictment on August 24, 2020, for their roles in a conspiracy spanning from June 2016 to October 2017. The scheme involved the use of stolen identities to open fraudulent bank accounts across multiple states, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Georgia, resulting in the deposit of over $119,000 in counterfeit checks.
United States Attorney Jane E. Young underscored the severity of the offense, stating, “The defendant and his co-conspirators brazenly stole and used other identities to achieve their scheme.
The operation included the establishment or access of post office boxes in Massachusetts and Georgia to receive debit cards and PIN numbers for the fraudulent accounts. Subsequently, the co-conspirators deposited counterfeit checks into these accounts and swiftly withdrew the funds before the banks could identify the fraudulent activity.
Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, emphasized the commitment to apprehending financial fraudsters, remarking, “Lester Aceituno saw it as easy money.
Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, highlighted the devastating impact of identity theft on victims and reaffirmed the ongoing efforts to combat such illicit schemes.
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The successful prosecution of Aceituno and his co-defendants was the culmination of a collaborative investigation involving multiple agencies, including the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Brockton, Massachusetts Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew T. Hunter and Geoffrey W.R. Ward led the prosecution.