Kent Man Faces Prison and $1.25 Million Fine for Fraud, ID Theft

KENT, CT — A local man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to bank fraud, social security number fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court records, Mark Pignatello, 54, of Kent, traveled across Maine and New Hampshire for three days last October, visiting branches of People’s United Bank at which he passed or attempted to pass counterfeit checks made out to others.

Pignatello used the social security numbers and other personal information of these individuals to impersonate them and used counterfeit driver’s licenses bearing his image, but their personal information. The Newport Police apprehended Pignatello outside of the Newport, Maine branch of People’s United Bank, where "his activity had been identified as fraudulent," according to a media release.

Pignatello faces up to 30 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1 million on the bank fraud charge, up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the social security number fraud charge, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft charge, as well as up to five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the Maine State Police.