N. Berwick man pleads guilty to using kid's SSN to rack up $228G worth of debt

CONCORD - A local Maine man pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced this week.

According to court documents and statements made in court, John Doe is a minor child known to David Keene, 38, of North Berwick. In July 2020, Doe's legal guardian reported to the Rochester Police Department that Keene had used Doe's Social Security Number to open many accounts and incur significant debt.

Credit reports showed that the accounts were opened between December 2016, when Doe was seven years old, and August 2019, when Doe was 10 years old. Documents and records showed that Keene used Doe's SSN to acquire, among other things, utility services and several credit cards. Keene also used Doe's SSN to obtain loans to purchase a snowmobile, motorcycle, and multiple cars. For example, one of the loans was for $56,648.50 to purchase a BMW SUV. Overall, Keene fraudulently obtained at least $227,828 in money and property that he was not entitled to receive.

Keene is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2021.

"Those who misuse Social Security numbers to commit fraud are committing a serious federal crime," said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. "We work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the Social Security system and to identify and prosecute those who use other people's identities to commit fraud. By coordinating with our law enforcement partners, we are holding criminals accountable for their conduct and obtaining justice for crime victims."