BOSTON — Two men were sentenced to prison this week for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail, the U.S. Attorney said Friday.
Imanol Rios-Franco, 26, of Canton, was sentenced Feb. 10 to 35 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris handed down his sentence.
Rios-Franco was also ordered to pay $12,528 in restitution. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.
Brandon Baez, 23, of North Attleboro, was sentenced Feb. 12 to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Foley said. Saris handed down his sentence.
Baez was also ordered to pay $10,285 in restitution.
Baez pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.
From at least June 2023 until February 2024, prosecutors said Rios-Franco and Baez and their co-conspirators stole mail from USPS collection boxes, looking to steal checks.
After they stole these checks, they washed the hand-written ink from the checks using commercially available chemicals, prosecutors said. The checks were then reissued to the co-conspirators or other bank accounts that they controlled.
After the checks were fraudulently deposited, prosecutors said Rios-Franco and Baez and their co-conspirators withdrew money from ATMs or bought money orders with those fraudulently obtained funds.
Investigators reviewed their cell phones, which showed that they had collaborated in the criminal scheme, prosecutors said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW