Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jacob Choate, 27, of Augusta, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to bank fraud.
Court records reveal that in July and August, 2014, Choate defrauded more than ten banks in central and southern Maine by negotiating nine counterfeit checks and eight altered checks. U.S. Postal Inspectors uncovered Choate’s involvement in the scheme after receiving complaints of stolen mail and reports of cashed stolen checks. Video surveillance cameras at the banks recorded Choate cashing or attempting to cash each check.
Choate faces up to thirty years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. 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. Postal Inspection Service as well as the Augusta, Portland, Saco, and Scarborough, Maine Police Departments.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
