Two men pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing checks from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Livingston and Clifton, costing financial institutions more than $670,000.
Leslie Blackwood, 25, of Irvington, entered his plea on Thursday, Sept. 3, before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9. His co-defendant, Verly Antenor, 24, of Roselle Park, pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge in July.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said both men were charged with conspiracy to steal checks from the mail.
Between September 2021 and March 2022, Blackwood, Antenor and others used stolen USPS arrow keys to open collection boxes in Livingston and Clifton and remove mail containing checks, according to RLS Media, citing federal prosecutors. The men deposited stolen checks at various banks, federal officials said.
In some cases, they "washed" the checks, erasing the original payee names and dollar amounts and replacing them with higher figures before depositing or selling them, federal prosecutors said.
The scheme caused financial institutions to lose $670,313.46, authorities said.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Prosecutors referenced additional unnamed co-conspirators in the case. No information about their identities or legal status has been made public.
NJ.com first reported on the guilty pleas. Antenor is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17. Blackwood's sentencing is set for Feb. 16, 2027.
