Albuquerque’s mailbox bandits struck fear into residents in the summer of 2017, and now one of the key players has admitted his role in the scam. Hector Lau, 21, of Miami, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiracy and five counts of bank fraud tied to a brazen mail theft operation that targeted U.S. Postal Service collection boxes across the city.
Between July 10 and August 9, 2017, Lau and three co-defendants—Jorge R. Cabrera, 20, Yarelys Marquez, 19, and Fernando Cairo-Rosell, 29, all of Albuquerque—broke into USPS depositories, stole checks, and rewrote them to funnel cash into their own accounts. Lau admitted in court that he knowingly deposited stolen and altered checks, totaling $6,932.04, into his own checking account and that of a co-conspirator without the owners’ permission.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service moved in fast after multiple reports surfaced of checks vanishing from mailboxes and reappearing fraudulently endorsed. On August 30, 2017, agents arrested Lau and his crew. A federal indictment filed September 21, 2017, charged all four with conspiracy and nine counts of bank fraud, including transactions at four Albuquerque-area credit unions.
Lau’s plea agreement lays bare the mechanics of the scheme: stolen checks were altered to change payee names and amounts—ranging from $500 to $4,754—and deposited as if legitimate. Lau specifically admitted that on July 14, 16, and 24, co-defendants deposited forged checks into his account. On July 28, Lau himself deposited a stolen check into a fellow defendant’s account.
The other three have already entered guilty pleas. Cairo-Rosell copped to the charges on December 4, 2017, and was sentenced February 21, 2018. Marquez pled guilty January 10, 2018. Cabrera followed on February 15, 2018. Now, all three—and Lau—face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. Sentencing hearings remain unscheduled.
The case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaheen P. Torgoley. With stolen mail funding a short-lived crime spree, authorities are warning the public to avoid mailing checks and to report tampered collection boxes immediately.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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