Roseville Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraud Scheme Using Stolen Mail

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ashley Nicole Leyba, aka Ashley Nicole Schlichting, 27, of Roseville, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of stolen mail, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between September 15, 2016 and February 3, 2017, carried out an identity theft scheme in order to defraud banks and credit unions. She obtained stolen mail from victims and opened credit card accounts and lines of credit using the financial and identification information found in the stolen mail. Leyba created notebooks, which she labeled “THINK BIG” and “STAY OUT,” to organize the names, addresses and personal information of the mail theft victims.

According to the plea agreement, Leyba used the credit cards to purchase goods at Wal‑Marts in Sacramento and Rocklin, Kohls in Citrus Heights, Foot Locker in Roseville, Lowes in Rancho Cordova, and other stores in Sacramento and Placer counties. Leyba was depicted in surveillance images during several of these fraudulent transactions.

Leyba was arrested on February 13, 2017. In her plea agreement, she admits that while in custody, she instructed associates to destroy stolen identification and financial information that she had in her residence. One associate was arrested for driving while intoxicated, and during an inventory search of the vehicle, some of the stolen mail was recovered before being destroyed according to Leyba’s instruction.

This case is the product of an investigation of the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento County Probation Office, and the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Leyba is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on June 23, 2017. Leyba faces up to 30 years in prison for bank fraud, a mandatory two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, and five years in prison for possession of stolen U.S. Mail.