Paul Keenan Guilty Plea

New York Man Admits Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten States

PROVIDENCE – A Bronx, NY, man admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island today that he participated in a conspiracy that intended to defraud banks in at least ten states of approximately $143,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He will be sentenced on May 27, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Keenan, working alongside other members of a conspiracy, to facilitate their scheme, recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). Keenan and his co-conspirators used the information to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits.

Keenan and others then obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information.

Keenan and others used the collected information to create fraudulent IDs and checks. They then traveled with recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and at least eight other states to cash the  checks.

Through the scheme, Keenan and others attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Hebert.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.