Feds: Contra Costa Woman Pleads Guilty To ID Theft Scheme Where She Leased Cars, Possessed Bags Of Stolen Mail
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (CBS SF) – A Contra Costa County woman has pleaded guilty to an identity theft scheme that victimized numerous people throughout Northern California, federal prosecutors said.
Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert's office announced that 27-year-old Desiree Brianna Bello admitted to bank fraud and possession of stolen mail on Monday.
Court documents say Bello and co-defendant Richard Beldon Waters III broke into residential mailboxes between April and August of last year, harvesting bank cards, documents, financial information and checks to use in the scheme.
Prosecutors said on several occasions, Bello used the documents to purchase and lease vehicles. In one instance, Bello used a victim's stolen identity to lease a Genesis G80 luxury car worth more than $55,000 from a Hyundai dealership in Stockton.
Bello was also arrested twice for possession of stolen mail, prosecutors said. On May 11, 2020, she was arrested in Folsom and had more than 300 pieces of stolen mail. A week later, Bello was arrested in El Dorado Hills while possessing five large trash bags of mail stolen from a residential complex.
Prosecutors said Bello remains in federal custody ahead of her sentencing, scheduled for October 25. She faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the bank fraud conviction, along with a five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the stolen mail conviction.
Charges against Waters remain pending.