Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Stamps

     BUFFALO, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Alcides Marcelino, 48, a native of the Domincan Republic currently living in Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara, to selling counterfeit postage stamps. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski, who is handling the case, stated that on May 23, 2011, the defendant sold 10,000 “Lady Liberty” and “U.S. Flags Forever” stamps for $2,500. At the time, the stamps had a total face value of $4,400. On July 19, 2011, Marcelino sold the same quantity of fake stamps for another $2,500. 

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge, Shelly A. Binkowski, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Thomas Marmion.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 29, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.