New York Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Identity Theft

From the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York: 

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Paul Keener, a/k/a Aaron Silverman, a/k/a Paul Robison, a/k/a Scott Walker, 47, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of aggravated identity theft, was sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who handled the case, stated that in 1996, the defendant escaped from state custody in Colorado. Soon thereafter, Keener purchased false identification documents associated with a confirmed missing person who has been missing from his family in Virginia since 1993. The defendant purchased the identification documents from a seller on Craigslist for $300.00. 

From 1995 to the present, Keener maintained several aliases, supported by false identification documents including U.S. passports and driver’s licenses. Law enforcement officials learned of the defendant’s presence in Western New York in January 2016. Using his aliases and false identification documents, Keener has crossed into Canada, registered to vote, applied for and received federal financial student aid, and has obtained Social Security cards.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of State, under the direction of William Ferrari, the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Marshals Service, under the direction Charles Salina.

From the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York: 

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Paul Keener, a/k/a Aaron Silverman, a/k/a Paul Robison, a/k/a Scott Walker, 47, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of aggravated identity theft, was sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who handled the case, stated that in 1996, the defendant escaped from state custody in Colorado. Soon thereafter, Keener purchased false identification documents associated with a confirmed missing person who has been missing from his family in Virginia since 1993. The defendant purchased the identification documents from a seller on Craigslist for $300.00. 

From 1995 to the present, Keener maintained several aliases, supported by false identification documents including U.S. passports and driver’s licenses. Law enforcement officials learned of the defendant’s presence in Western New York in January 2016. Using his aliases and false identification documents, Keener has crossed into Canada, registered to vote, applied for and received federal financial student aid, and has obtained Social Security cards.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of State, under the direction of William Ferrari, the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the United States Marshals Service, under the direction Charles Salina.