Northern California Man Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Bank Fraud, Possession Of Stolen Mail
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Contra Costa man has been sentenced to four years behind bars for bank fraud and possession of stolen mail.
Richard Beldon Waters III, 29, formerly of Contra Costa County, was sentenced Monday in federal court to four years in prison for bank fraud and possession of stolen U.S. mail, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between April and August 2020, Waters and Desiree Bello, 28, of Contra Costa County, carried out a mail theft and bank fraud scheme. The duo stole U.S. mail from residential mailboxes in Northern California and harvested bankcards, identification documents, financial information, checks, and personally identifying information (PII) for use in fraudulent activity. They then allegedly used the identification and PII of the mail theft victims to obtain money and property from banks and businesses.
On at least two occasions, Waters and Bello allegedly used identification documents and financial instruments of mail theft victims to purchase and lease vehicles from car dealerships.
Waters was arrested in Folsom on May 11, 2020, allegedly with 300 pieces of stolen mail. Similarly, on May 18, 2020, he was arrested in El Dorado Hills where he allegedly had five large trash bags of mail that he and his accomplices had just stolen minutes earlier from a residential complex, the documents allege.
In March, Bello was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for committing the same crimes as Waters.