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Crime & Safety

Oakdale Man Charged With Mail Fraud

Man allegedly worked with a group of 10 people to steal mail and use it to get access to bank accounts

An Oakdale man was indicted for allegedly working with nine other Twin Cities residents to steal mail and use it to commit bank fraud and identity theft, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ricky W. Mariano, 40, is charged with theft and receipt of stolen mail, bank fraud conspiracy, destruction of letter boxes, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal court, the press release says.

The indictment was filed Wednesday, Aug. 3, according to the press release.

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Between July of 2010 and July of 2011, Mariano and the other defendants allegedly stole mail from curbside mailboxes in Washington, Ramsey and Dakota counties, the press release says, with the intent to get personal information from the mail that would allow them to fraudulently pull money from victims’ bank accounts.

Mariano and other defendants also allegedly destroyed blue mail collection boxes in December of 2010 and January of 2011 to get mail, the press release says.

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The defendants allegedly stole personal information such as names, birthdays and bank account numbers as well as credit cards and checks, according to the press release. They allegedly used chemicals to remove certain details from checks and then re-wrote them and used them at stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the release.

The potential maximum penalties are 30 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, five years for the mail theft charge, 30 years for the bank fraud charge and three years for the destruction of letter boxes charge. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of two years, the release says.

 

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