Jersey City Man Used Fake Passports In $450K Fraud Scheme: DOJ

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jersey City man pleaded guilty to a $450,000 bank fraud scheme that involved fake passports.

Mamadou Diallo, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and false use of a passport. According to the Department of Justice, Diallo used fake passports to open accounts at banks where he and others deposited phony IRS refund checks.

From June 2012 through December 2018, Diallo and others created false passports from several West African countries and opened fake accounts with the passports, according to the DOJ. Fake checks were deposited to the accounts with the routing number for the U.S. Treasury.

Diallo's conspirators would then withdraw the funds — according to the DOJ, to date, the losses associated with the conspiracy exceed $450,000.

The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. The passport fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 13, 2021.