BOSTON—A Hopkinton woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for her role in a scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Rosemary Parks, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to 26 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Parks was also ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution. Parks was arrested in January 2026 and pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in May 2026. Between August 2024 and October 2024, Parks impersonated at least eight bank customers to withdraw money from the customers’ accounts. Parks used fake driver’s licenses with the customers’ information but her own photo and presented bank tellers with withdrawal slips that listed the customers’ names and account numbers. She successfully withdrew $536,000 from the customers’ accounts in the form of cashier’s checks and a cash withdrawal. In July 2025, six men were charged as part of a related investigation into a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Three of those defendants—Phalentz Vernot, Victor Kolawole and Keith Wainaina—have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Additionally, co-defendant William Shaw pleaded guilty today for his role in a related scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2027.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Connecticut State Police, the Glocester (RI) Police Department, the Sutton Police Department, the Concord (MA) Police Department, the Dracut Police Department, the Westwood Police Department and the Abington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.