LOS ANGELES – In a brazen scheme, three Highland Park men have been charged with stealing mail from post offices and using Instagram to find accounts to deposit the stolen checks, netting them at least $800,000.
Antonio Hernandez, 20, Ivan Murillo-Hernandez, 20, and Alexis Garcia Martinez, 28, were indicted on May 14 for their alleged roles in the five-count scheme. According to the indictment, the trio stole mail from U.S. post office docks and other locations in the mail stream, including by using threats of violence, to obtain checks belonging to various victims.
The indictment alleges mail thefts from a Highland Park apartment building as well as from post offices in Studio City, Azusa, Upland, Anaheim, El Segundo, and Beverly Hills. Martinez allegedly provided vehicles to Hernandez and others to travel to post offices to commit back dock thefts and advised them on how to commit such crimes without law enforcement detecting them.
Hernandez and Murillo-Hernandez allegedly used social media to solicit bank account holders to provide their debit card and account information by promising them a cut of any fraudulently obtained funds deposited into their accounts. To avoid banks’ fraud protections, the co-conspirators requested bank accounts that had been open for a certain amount of time so they could access the stolen funds more quickly.
For example, in December 2022, Hernandez allegedly posted a story on his Instagram account advertising the sale of stolen checks and seeking third parties with Bank of America accounts older than two years in which to deposit stolen checks.
In April 2023, Hernandez, Murillo-Hernandez, and three minors led police on a high-speed chase on the 57 and 60 freeways, dumping mail out of a gray Toyota Camry as they fled. One of the minors involved in the chase later posted a video on Instagram depicting a pursuing police car, according to the indictment.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is scheduled to go to trial on July 8. Murillo-Hernandez has also pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial alongside Hernandez. Martinez is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred over to federal custody in the coming weeks.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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