MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Five individuals from Miami Gardens have pleaded guilty in federal court for their involvement in a complex scheme involving stolen U.S. Postal Service mail keys and counterfeit checks.
From September 2021 through May 2023, Angel Joe Gonzalez, 28; Evens Necler Monestime, 27; David Gonzalez, 23; Cristina Azahares, 27; and Adriana Ginel, 56, conspired to defraud federally insured financial institutions, according to court documents. The scheme involved using stolen U.S. Postal Service arrow keys to access mail, producing counterfeit checks, and using personal information to deposit altered checks into controlled bank accounts for personal gain.
The Miami Gardens Police Department uncovered the operation on May 3, 2023, when officers responded to reports of gunfire at a residence shared by Angel Joe Gonzalez, Azahares, and Monestime. Officers discovered approximately $1.7 million in stolen checks, six U.S. Postal Service mail keys, and various electronic devices, along with narcotics and firearms, according to the department…