A New York man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for using counterfeit U.S. passport cards to steal money from bank accounts in Massachusetts.
Jean Andre Bontiffe, 41, admitted to three counts of bank fraud, one count of forgery or false use of a passport, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Chief U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2025.
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According to court documents, Bontiffe traveled from New York to Massachusetts in July 2022 and made nine attempts to withdraw money from the bank accounts of three Massachusetts residents using counterfeit U.S. passport cards and credit cards. He successfully stole a total of $13,800.
In one instance, Bontiffe entered a TD Bank branch in North Andover and presented a counterfeit passport and credit card as identification while attempting to withdraw $4,500. The bank teller noticed a signature mismatch, denied the transaction, and confiscated the fraudulent documents before Bontiffe fled the scene.
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Bontiffe had previously been arrested in August 2022 at LaGuardia Airport in New York for attempting to pass through TSA security using a counterfeit California driver’s license in the name of one of the Massachusetts victims.
Bontiffe faces significant penalties for his crimes. The charge of making or using a forged passport carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, while the bank fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
This case was investigated by multiple agencies, including:
- U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service
- Mamaroneck (New York) Police Department
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm is prosecuting the case.
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