Kansas Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Charges

BANGOR, Maine: A Kansas woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud and eight counts each of bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court records, in October 2025, Rachael Kennedy, 37, entered multiple financial institutions in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and impersonated actual account holders by presenting fictitious U.S. passport cards in the account holders' names. Kennedy obtained $30,400 by withdrawing funds from preexisting home equity lines of credit. Kennedy was arrested in Canada after fleeing from police when she left a bank in Houlton.

For bank fraud, Kennedy faces up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to five years of supervised release. For aggravated identity theft, she faces a mandatory prison term of two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed; a $250,000 fine; and up to one year of supervised release. For passport fraud, Kennedy faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, Portsmouth Resident Office, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Maine State Police, the Hampden Police Department, the Houlton Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

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