Providence Man Found in Possession of $200,000 in Stolen Checks Pleads Guilty to Mail Theft, Violating the Terms of Federal Supervised Release

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Providence man who was found to be in possession of nearly $200,000 in stolen and fraudulent checks while serving a term of federal supervised release for an unrelated bank fraud conviction, pleaded guilty in federal court today to a charge of possession of stolen mail, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

According to charging documents and information presented to the court, on February 2, 2023, during his arrest on an unrelated state narcotics charge, Edmilson Rodrigues, 25, was found to be in possession of ninety-one legitimate checks totaling approximately $170,758.26 and eight fraudulent checks totaling approximately $22,838.01. Also seized was blank check-paper stock used for creating fraudulent checks.

An investigation by agents with the United States Postal Inspection Service determined that the legitimate checks seized from Rodrigues’ residence had been mailed out by various businesses, but were never received by the intended recipients. Combined with the fraudulent checks, the intended loss totals $193,596.27. 

At the time of his arrest on a state drug charge, Rodrigues was serving a term of federal supervised release that followed a sentence of twenty-four months incarceration imposed by a federal judge in September 2020 as a result of his conviction on bank fraud charges.

Rodrigues is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2024, on the stolen mail charge and for violating the terms of his federal supervised release. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin

The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Providence Police Department.

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