Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Davenport, Iowa man with multiple prior felony convictions has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for defrauding credit unions using stolen identities and forged documents. Jeffrey Blake Palmer, 44, received the sentence on December 1, 2025, after pleading guilty in May to financial institution fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court records, Palmer and his accomplice, Maegen Fortin, conducted a scheme between June and September 2021 that involved using stolen personal information—including dates of birth and Social Security numbers—to apply for various financial products at credit unions across the Midwest. The pair submitted fraudulent documentation such as fake U.S. passports, military IDs, state driver’s licenses, and employment papers with their applications.
In one example from June 2021, Palmer and Fortin opened a joint account at a Cedar Rapids credit union under assumed names and obtained two auto loans totaling over $57,000. The funds were deposited into an account they controlled.
Palmer’s criminal history includes seven previous adult felony convictions. His co-conspirator Fortin was sentenced in August 2023 to 93 months in prison for her role in the scheme.
Chief Judge C.J. Williams of the United States District Court handed down Palmer’s sentence of 94 months’ imprisonment in Cedar Rapids. In addition to prison time, Palmer must pay $253,572.26 in restitution to victims and serve five years of supervised release following his incarceration. Federal sentencing does not allow parole.
Palmer is currently held by the United States Marshal pending transfer to a federal prison facility.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
