Stockton Woman Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Aggravated I.D. Theft In Large Scale U.S. Mail Theft And Bank Fraud Scheme

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Regina L. Perea, 34, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to six years in prison for three counts of aggravated identification theft.

According to court documents, Perea and her husband, Rudy A. Trujillo, 35, also of Stockton, possessed hundreds of pieces of stolen U.S. mail, along with hundreds of stolen checks, credit cards and identification documents at their Stockton residence. During a search of their residence, law enforcement recovered the stolen mail and found evidence indicating that the defendants were altering checks, and manufacturing credit cards. When Trujillo and Perea were arrested in San Jose, they were driving a stolen vehicle with stolen license plates and were again in possession of a large quantity of stolen U.S. mail, checks, credit cards, and identification documents. Perea had assumed the identity of at least two additional female victims while she and Trujillo were on the run from law enforcement.

This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Stockton Police Department, the San Jose Police Department, the Placer County Sheriff's Office, and the Delta Regional Auto Theft Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the United States Postal Inspection Service stated: “We are working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute all those responsible for stealing U.S. Mail and using the contents of stolen U.S. Mail in furtherance of fraud and identity theft crimes."

On May 15, 2014, Perea and Trujillo pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated identity theft. Trujillo, who is in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2014. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.