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Hopkinton woman sentenced to prison for participating in bank fraud scheme

by | Oct 1, 2026 | Featured: News, News

A Hopkinton woman was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Wednesday for her role in a scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island of millions of dollars over the course of several years.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 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 had been arrested in January. At that time, she was released under special conditions, including orders not to drink or take illegal drugs and to undergo a mental health evaluation, per reporting from The Boston Globe.

She and William Shaw, 67, of Boston, were indicted on counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in January. Parks pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in May.

Shaw pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a related scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2027.

Parks’ conviction was announced jointly by 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 (Connecticut) Division.

Bank fraud conspiracy detailed

Between August and October of 2024, Parks impersonated at least eight bank customers to withdraw money from the customers’ accounts, according to the press release. She used fake driver’s licenses with the customers’ information but her own photo to withdraw funds at Massachusetts banks from West Roxbury to Sturbridge.

Using withdrawal slips that listed the customers’ names and account numbers, Parks successfully withdrew $536,000 from the customers’ accounts in the form of cashier’s checks and a cash withdrawal.

In July 2025, six Massachusetts men were charged as part of a related investigation into a multimillion-dollar effort 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.

Multiple police departments contributed to the investigation. They included local Massachusetts police departments in Sutton, Concord, Dracut, Westwood and Abington. The Connecticut State Police and Rhode Island’s Glocester Police Department also assisted.

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