Contra Costa man gets 4 years prison in bank fraud, mail theft scheme
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – An East Bay man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a mail theft and bank fraud scheme that involved victims throughout Northern California, prosecutors said.
According to U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert's office, a judge sentenced 28-year-old Richard Beldon Waters III of Contra Costa County to four years in prison for the scheme. Waters, along with 28-year-old Desiree Bello, also known as Desiree Sanchez, had previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud and possession of stolen U.S. Mail.
Court documents said between April and August of 2020, the pair broke into mailboxes to harvest bank cards, identification documents, checks and other personally identifiable information.
In May of 2020, Waters was arrested twice in May of 2020 for possessing stolen mail in the Sacramento area. Prosecutors said in one of the arrests, Waters possessed 300 pieces of stolen mail. Several days later, Waters was arrested again with what prosecutors described as five "large trash bags of mail".
Prosecutors said the pair used the documents to obtain cash, property, and on at least two occasions, to purchase and lease vehicles from dealerships.
In one instance, prosecutors said Bello was able to lease a new Hyundai Genesis G80 luxury sedan from a dealership in Stockton with a stolen identity. Bello used a $7,000 check in the victim's name and submitted a lease application using the victim's name, date of birth, driver's license number and Social Security number.
The vehicle was valued at more than $55,000, according to prosecutors.
Bello was sentenced in March to four years and nine months in prison for her role in the scheme.