Oroville Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft While on Federal Supervised Release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Melvin Lee Gregory, 32, of Oroville, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to aggravated identity theft and violation the conditions of supervised release, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, on April 2, 2015, Gregory was released from federal prison after serving a four-year sentence for a previous conviction. Between April 2, 2015, and August 22, 2015, while on probation, Gregory opened a bank account and deposited several forged checks. On August 22, 2015, Gregory was observed attempting to break into and steal U.S. Mail from a Roseville mailbox, and minutes later he successfully stole U.S. Mail from a Rocklin mailbox. When Gregory was arrested by Rocklin Police, he was in possession of stolen U.S. Mail, burglary tools, and stolen identification documents.

This case is the product of an investigation of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Rocklin Police Department, with the assistance of the United States Probation Office in the Eastern District of California. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

Gregory is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Mendez on February 23, 2016. Gregory faces at least two years in prison for his aggravated identity theft conviction and up to an additional year for his violation of conditions of federal release. 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.