A Bronx man was sentenced to 4½ years in federal prison for a bank fraud and identity theft scheme that included unauthorized withdrawals at Northwest Bank branches in Lockport and Williamsville.
Michael Herrera, 45, was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara imposed the 54-month sentence, federal prosecutors announced Friday, Oct. 16.
The scheme relied on a co-conspirator, Vance Ashley, who was recruited in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in January 2025 to impersonate other people and withdraw money from their accounts in exchange for payment, prosecutors said.
From Jan. 28 through Feb. 3, 2025, Ashley traveled with Herrera and two other people to bank branches in Wilmington, Delaware; Liberty, New York; and Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Using other people’s identification, Ashley made or attempted unauthorized withdrawals, according to prosecutors.
The group traveled to a Northwest Bank branch in Lockport on Feb. 5, 2025. There, Ashley withdrew money without authorization from the account of a person who lived in Erie, Pennsylvania, and purchased a bank check using the account’s funds, prosecutors said.
Later that day, the group went to a Northwest Bank branch in Williamsville. Ashley made another unauthorized withdrawal and bought a bank check with funds from the account of a person from North East, Pennsylvania, prosecutors said. Herrera also unlawfully used another person’s identification while committing a felony that day.
Prosecutors put the scheme’s combined actual and intended loss at $91,300. The figure includes money the group attempted to obtain, not only completed withdrawals.
Ashley was previously convicted and sentenced to 27 months in prison. The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Bonanno prosecuted it.
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