Derry man pleads guilty to passport, wire fraud charges

Paul Feely, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·3 min read

Nov. 28—A Derry man has pleaded guilty in federal court to passport fraud and wire fraud in connection with hacking a telecommunications company, federal prosecutors announced.

Andrew Mahn, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Concord to one count of passport fraud and one count of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Jane Young announced. U.S. District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled Mahn's sentencing for March 7, 2024.

Mahn was charged with passport fraud by indictment in the District of New Hampshire on Feb. 15, after being charged with hacking a telecommunications company by a complaint in the Northern District of Illinois on March 17, 2021.

Mahn previously worked as a radio technician for a telecommunications company based in Chicago, court documents show, before taking a job with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport).

While working for Massport, prosecutors allege Mahn sent spear-phishing emails to several employees at his former employer and tricked them into entering their login credentials into a fake website. Mahn also sent text messages to the employees and deceived them into providing him their multi-factor authentication code.

Eventually, Mahn gained access to the telecommunications company's servers, and used anonymous Internet Protocol addresses, an account tied to his Massport email address and Bitcoin to hack the company.

A grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois returned an indictment charging Mahn with multiple offenses related to the telecommunications company hack. He was released on conditions pending trial.

Prosecutors say while on release, on Nov. 15. 2022, Mahn applied for a passport using a false name at the Kimball Library in Atkinson. Mahn provided a false date of birth on the application, court documents show, but used his own photograph.

In support of this application, Mahn also provided false documents, court documents show, including a student ID card from the nonexistent "Big Sky IT Enterprise Academy," and a New Hampshire identification card purportedly issued on Nov. 10, 2022.

Both student and state ID cards contained Mahn's photograph, and documents show he also provided a falsely-generated birth certificate. A fingerprint analysis found three of Mahn's prints on the birth certificate and another on a form signed by the defendant, using the name A.M, claiming he was never issued a Social Security number.

Prosecutors say on Dec. 15, 2022, Mahn wrote to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan requesting assistance in expediting the passport application. "I have just found out I need to book international travel shortly for family reasons in the coming weeks to Germany," Mahn wrote. "I am trying to figure out the status of the application and when I can expect it to be processed and shipped."

Wire fraud carries a sentence of no greater than 20 years, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, and restitution. Passport fraud provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.