Portland Man Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Conspiracy

PORTLAND, Maine—A 22-year-old Portland man, Paul Logugune, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for his role in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Logugune to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $32,564 in restitution. Logugune had pleaded guilty to the charges on May 1, 2024.

Court records reveal that between May and June 2022, Logugune and a co-conspirator engaged in a scheme where they broke into unattended vehicles, stealing purses and wallets to obtain driver’s licenses and checkbooks. They forged checks using the stolen checkbooks, making them payable to the names on the stolen driver’s licenses. To execute their plan, they recruited others to cash the forged checks at various credit union branches in Cumberland County, using the stolen IDs to impersonate the victims.

This sentencing marks the culmination of efforts by law enforcement to crack down on identity theft and protect citizens from fraud.

a table full of moneyPhoto byTima Miroshnichenko