A federal judge sentenced a Windham man Wednesday to eight months of prison for passing nearly $20,000 in counterfeit travelers checks at stores and restaurants in Massachusetts and Maine, including in Auburn.
Keith A. Coleman, 48, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland by Judge Nancy Torrensen. Coleman also was sentenced to three years of supervised release after his prison term. He was ordered to pay $19,000 in restitution to 13 stores and restaurants.
Coleman passed 190 $100 counterfeit American Express Travelers Cheques. He pleaded guilty to the charge May 1.
He faced up to 10 years in prison and as much as a $250,000 fine.
The bogus checks were passed between Dec. 17, 2012, and Jan. 10, 2013, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was arrested on Feb. 27.
The checks were presented at Best Buy and Rite Aid in Auburn, as well as at Applebee’s, CVS Caremark, Denny’s, TGI Fridays, Longhorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Radio Shack, Ruby Tuesday, Staples, Target and Toys ‘R Us elsewhere in Maine and Massachusetts, according to U.S. District Court records.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and police departments in Auburn, Augusta, Biddeford, South Portland and Topsham, as well as by police in Everett, Mass.
cwilliams@sunjournal.com.
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