CLEVELAND — Seven Northeast Ohio men have been arrested and are facing charges for their involvement in an alleged mail fraud scheme.
A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a 16-count indictment, which charged the seven men with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. The men are accused of being involved in a check fraud scheme, in which checks were stolen from the U.S. mail and altered or forged, then deposited into various accounts for withdrawal.
The following men were arrested on Monday, Sept. 11, after a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Highland Heights Police Department, North Royalton Police Department, Brooklyn Heights Police Department, Shaker Heights Police Department, and USPS Office of Inspector General:
- Nathaniel Sturdivant, 23, Euclid
- Marcus Winn, 20, Cleveland
- Dashawn Dumas, 24, Cleveland
- Mohamed Mohamed, 21, Willoughby Hills
- Jayland Ware, 21, of Shaker Heights
Additionally, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 21-year-old Larry Reynolds of Maple Heights and 20-year-old Lorenzo Nettles of Euclid turned themselves in to the U.S. Marshals.
“Offenses like these compromise the integrity of our mail system and harm not only the individuals whose mail is stolen, but the public at large,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the United States Postal Inspection Service and other state and local partners to aggressively prosecute criminals who steal from the U.S. Mail and abuse our community’s banks.”
Officials say the indictment comes after 11 other defendants were involved in similar criminal activities in the Northern District of Ohio.
“These recent arrests should serve notice to would be criminals that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees and customers”, said Inspector In Charge Lesley Allison. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail.”
Officials urge anyone with information about blue collection box thefts to contact USPIS at 1-877-876-2455.
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