Man Accused Of Using Fake Checks To Purchase Stamps In New York

Bank robberies, car theft, cyber crime and others are not uncommon but have you ever heard of someone accused of stealing United States Postal Service postal stamps?

A Springfield, Massachusetts man, according to a United States Attorney's Office press release, allegedly used fraudulent checks to purchase a total of $30,000 worth of postal stamps. These incidents took place over the course of 2 days in Central New York in August of 2023.

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United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service announced that 32-year-old William Soto of Springfield, MA. was arraigned Thursday March 28, 2024 on a federal indictment charging him with twelve counts of theft of government property.

William Soto allegedly used fraudulent checks to purchase more than $30,000 worth of United States Postal Service postage stamps in Oneida County, Oswego County, and Onondaga County.

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According to Saland Law, in New York State, if a person altered a check or the person possesses a fake check, those are Class D felonies for the forgery in the second degree or the criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree. If found guilty of these crimes the criminal could face between two and seven years in prison.

The charges filed against Soto carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. The investigation of this case is ongoing.

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Source: Man Accused of Using Fake Checks to Purchase $30,000 Worth of Postal Stamps In Central New York