Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Opening Bank Accounts and Attempting to Purchase $83,000 Sports Car Using Stolen Identities

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to using two victims’ identities to open bank accounts and attempting to purchase an $83,000 Chevrolet Camaro. 

Brandon Brouillard, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 13, 2022.  Brouillard was indicted in June 2021.

In February 2021, Brouillard used the identity of a New Hampshire resident to open a bank account at Avidia Bank. Brouillard wired $108,000 to the Avidia Bank account from another individual’s Bank of America account. Brouillard also fraudulently obtained a New Hampshire driver’s license in the name of a New Hampshire resident, which he used to attempt to obtain a car loan from Capital One which was ultimately denied.

On April 17, 2021, Brouillard test drove a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro at a dealership in Norwood. After test-driving the Camaro, Brouillard agreed to purchase the sports car for $83,000 and paid for the vehicle with a cashier’s check made out to the dealership. Brouillard provided his Massachusetts driver’s license, proof of insurance, signed sales contract, Massachusetts application for registration and car title in connection with the purchase. 

On April 19, 2021, Brouillard picked up the Camaro from the dealership. A few days later, the dealership learned that the account listed on the bank check provided by Brouillard was frozen. The dealership contacted Brouillard, who promised that he would wire $83,000 to pay for the car.

On April 26, 2021, an Arizona resident contacted local police and reported an attempted fraudulent wire transfer of $83,000 from the victim’s bank account. The victim reported that a fraudulent email purportedly from the victim was sent to the bank, requesting a wire transfer of $83,000 to pay for the victim’s “brother-in-law’s car.” The bank contacted the victim for verification, and the victim did not approve the transfer. Starting in or about September 2020, the victim’s accounts were compromised, and large fraudulent purchases were made and shipped to Brouillard’s address. It is estimated that approximately $500,000 of the victim’s funds were stolen.

The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Braintree, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Worcester and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.