A Yonkers, N.Y., man has been sentenced to state prison for a scam on a Bradford bank, and is wanted on federal charges for financial shenanigans in Massachusetts.

Steven K. Ware, 64, was sentenced June 12 in McKean County Court to 27 to 54 months in state prison, with credit for 274 days of time served on charges of theft by deception – false impression, forgery and identity theft.

According to District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer, on Nov. 15, 2023, Bradford City Police were called to Northwest Bank on Main Street for an incident that happened the prior week.

“Employees stated that a male and female had deposited a check for a large amount of money and opened a bank account to deposit the money into. The subjects then withdrew the money in smaller amounts the next few days after depositing the check. After investigating further, it was discovered the two individuals, according to bank employees, were using aliases and fake ID cards at multiple Northwest Savings Bank branches in the area to deposit checks for large amounts and then withdraw from the accounts opened under the aliases,” read a release from Shaffer.

“Photos of the subjects were provided by employees of Northwest Savings Bank. Officers were able to identify the male subject as Ware, on surveillance cameras of the bank and of the City of Bradford, entering the bank on dates withdrawals were made from the account opened under the alias. On Sept. 12, 2024, at approximately 7 p.m., Ware turned himself in to the Bradford City Police.”

He was represented by Port Allegany attorney Dawn Fink, who was appointed.

On June 18, the legal website Law360 ran a story, written by Aaron Keller, about Ware being sought by Massachusetts federal prosecutors.

The story stated that prosecutors want Ware back in Massachusetts by July to “face claims he impersonated a corporate executive and swiped an $810,000 tax refund bound for a Stamford, Conn., investment firm.”

He is charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to a federal press release, “Ware opened bank accounts in the name of a Connecticut company and one of its managing partners at a credit union in Tyngsborough, Mass., in December 2023. Shortly after opening the account, Ware deposited a U.S. Treasury check payable to the company and the managing partner for $810,337.68. Once the check cleared, a debit card was allegedly used to withdraw money from the account to buy goods at various retailers in New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Ware allegedly returned to the Tyngsborough credit union several times and wired more than $634,000 of the stolen funds.”

According to Keller’s story, federal prosecutors have offered Ware a plea deal, but he has not signed it.

The government is represented by Kriss Basil of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Ware is represented by Erin R. Opperman of the Law Offices of Erin R. Opperman.

The federal case is U.S. v. Ware, case number 1:24-cr-10304, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.