đź“® Two North Jersey men pleaded guilty after a scheme caused more than $670,000 in losses.
📮 Prosecutors say they used stolen USPS keys to “fish” checks from collection boxes.
đź“® They then sold or altered the checks to fraudulently obtain money from financial institutions.
Two North Jersey men have admitted to a check-washing scheme that caused more than $670,000 in losses.
On Wednesday, Leslie Blackwood, 25, of Irvington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal checks from the mail in federal court in Newark. Blackwood’s plea comes two months after co-conspirator Verly Antenor, 24, of Roselle Park pleaded guilty to the same crime.
Each man faces up to five years in prison. Blackwood is scheduled to be sentenced in February, while Antenor’s sentencing is scheduled for December.
Men used stolen postal keys to “fish” for checks
Blackwood and Antenor worked the mail scheme between September 2021 and March 2022, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer. They used stolen arrow keys to access post office boxes in Livingston and Clifton and steal checks, which they called “fishing.” They called the stolen checks “food,” “grub,” or “slips.”…