Serial Check Thief Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Charges

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWARD WILLIAMS, 58, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to bank fraud and identity theft offenses stemming from a mail theft and check cashing scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Williams stole checks in a variety of ways and altered or filled out the checks to make them payable to him, his co-conspirators, or stolen identities that he has used.

The victims of this scheme include a Windsor resident who had written a check payable to American Express, mailed the check with his American Express bill, and later discovered that the check had been altered and cashed for $985.30; a West Hartford couple who had left a holiday card containing a $15 check for their newspaper delivery person outside of their mailbox, and later discovered it had been altered and cashed for $870; a West Hartford resident who learned that she had a box of checks she ordered stolen after Williams attempted to cash one of the checks for $400; and an individual who had personal checks stolen from a book he kept at his business, and was subsequently informed that Williams had deposited four of the checks totaling more than $5,000 into a bank account Williams had opened.

In total, between August 2016 and June 2017, Williams, or his co-conspirators, successfully cashed $33,756.07 in fraudulently obtained checks.  He, or others working with him, also attempted to cash $16,068.96 in fraudulently obtained checks.

Williams pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and one count of aggravated identity theft, and offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years.  A sentencing date is not scheduled

Williams has been detained since his arrest on October 18, 2017.

Williams’ criminal history includes numerous convictions, including convictions for forgery, larceny and burglary offenses.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of several police departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala V. Nagala and Elena L. Coronado.