BANGOR, Maine — A Canadian man, who has lived in the U.S. under assumed names since at least 1994, waived indictment and pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to using another man’s identity to obtain nearly $6,000 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Robert Jerome Bond, 47, of Gardiner pleaded guilty to one count each of theft of public money and aggravated identity theft.
A sentencing date has not been set.
By pleading guilty, Bond admitted that between Jan. 19, 2011, and Oct. 30, 2014, he illegally received about $5,900 in SNAP benefits using the identity of an Ohio man, identified in court documents as D.E.M.
“Over the course of at least the past 15 years, the defendant has lived under D.E.M.’s Social security number and date of birth,” according to the prosecution version of events to which Bond pleaded guilty. “The defendant falsely asserted that he was a U.S. citizen, as is D.E.M., knowing that his own immigration status would make him otherwise ineligible for benefits.”
The theft of SNAP benefits was discovered when the real D.E.M. applied for the program in his home state of Ohio and was told he already was collecting benefits in Maine, according to court documents. Bond knew D.E.M. was a real person, and Bond had “come into possession of D.E.M.’s lawfully issued Social Security card.”
How Bond got the card is not explained in court documents.
Bond was arrested June 26 and agreed to be held without bail until his sentencing.
He faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the theft of public money charge and a mandatory consecutive two years on the identity theft charge. Bond faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count and could be ordered to pay restitution.
Once he has served his sentence, Bond could face deportation.