A New York man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston for using counterfeit United States passport cards under the names of three Massachusetts residents to withdraw money from their bank accounts.
Jean Andre Bontiffe, 41, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of bank fraud, one count of forgery or false use of a Passport, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the Massachusetts Department of Justice. Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV has set the sentencing date for May 6, 2025. Bontiffe had been previously charged with these offenses in October 2023.
On August 9, 2022, Bontiffe was apprehended in New York after he tried to go through TSA screening at LaGuardia Airport using a counterfeit California driver’s license in the same name as one of the victims from Massachusetts. An ensuing investigation uncovered that between July 20 and July 22, 2022, Bontiffe traveled from New York to Massachusetts and attempted to withdraw money from the bank accounts of three victims from Massachusetts. In total, he managed to steal $13,800. Specifically, on July 20, 2022, Bontiffe visited a TD Bank branch in North Andover, Mass. He presented a United States passport and a Discover credit card, both belonging to a Massachusetts resident who had an account with the bank, as proof of identity and attempted to withdraw $4,500 from that account. However, the bank rejected the transaction due to mismatched signatures, leading them to seize the passport and credit card before Bontiffe escaped the scene.
The punishment for creating or using a forged passport can result in imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years, along with three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of bank fraud, the penalty can be up to 30 years in prison, along with five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Additionally, if found guilty of aggravated identity theft, the offender must serve a mandatory two-year prison sentence, which is consecutive to any other imposed sentence. The length of these sentences is determined by a federal district court judge, who applies the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes when deciding the punishment for a criminal case.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, along with Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office, and Paul Creazzo, Chief of the Mamaroneck (New York) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit.
