Suffolk County woman pleads guilty to her role in fraud scheme

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jennifer Poliandro, 35, of Medford, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Between February 18 and February 26, 2026, Poliandro conspired with others to obtain personally identifiable information of multiple victims from the internet and use this information to create counterfeit military identification cards and United States passport cards. These fraudulent cards were then used to obtain and attempt to obtain money from various banks in the Western District of New York area. On February 18, 2026, Poliandro went to a Lake Shore Bank branch in Fredonia, NY, where she used a counterfeit military identification card in the name of an individual residing in Jamestown, NY, to obtain $7,800 from a home equity line of credit account associated with the individual. The total loss amount of the scheme, including actual loss and intended loss, is between $15,000 and $40,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright. The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone, and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Wood.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2026, before Judge Arcara.

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