Providence Man Sentenced for Bank Fraud, Aggravated ID Theft

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who stole the personal banking information of several individuals, including a retired Providence firefighter, and used that information to gain access to their bank accounts, was sentenced on Wednesday to 60 months in federal prison.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Jamal Mansaray, 29, to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration and to pay restitution in the amount of $74,300 to Citizens Bank.

Mansaray pleaded guilty on May 30, 2018, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range of imprisonment in this matter is 70 months to 84 months, plus a consecutive term of 24 months incarceration on the charge of aggravated identity theft. The government recommended the Court impose a total sentence of 70 months incarceration.

Mansaray’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Stephen A. Marks, and Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Harold H. Shaw.

A Providence Police Department investigation determined that in September 2017, an individual attempted to cash a check drawn on a Citizens Bank account belonging to a retired Providence firefighter without his consent. In an effort to confirm that cashing the check was permissible, an employee of the bank called the retired firefighter on a telephone number on file with the bank. The phone call actually rang to Mansaray’s cell phone. After Mansaray failed to properly respond to all of the questions posed by the bank employee, the employee declined to cash the check.  

The investigation revealed that the telephone number on file with the bank had been altered and other personal identifying information on file with the bank belonging to the firefighter had been compromised. Further investigation determined that $82,000 was transferred from the retired firefighter’s money market account to his checking account without his knowledge.

Further investigation revealed that Mansaray had accessed funds belonging to at least four other individuals. At the time of his guilty plea, Mansaray admitted to fraudulently obtaining a total of $74,300.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

The matter was investigated by the Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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