Kimberly Acevedo, Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, California 2023

A West Sacramento woman has been sentenced to prison for her role in a mail fraud and identity theft scheme that caused over $110,000 in actual loss.

Kimberly Acevedo, 53, was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison and ordered to pay $113,400 in restitution for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Acevedo and co-defendant Philip Rich, 51, of West Sacramento, perpetrated a mail fraud scheme between March 2019 and March 2021. The scheme involved theft of U.S. mail, identity theft, and unlawful possession of dozens of stolen bank cards.

Acevedo and Rich obtained the personally identifiable information of victims and used that information to apply for new credit cards, debit cards, checkbooks, and other financial instruments. They then submitted change-of-address requests to USPS using the victims' information, rerouting the mail to their shared home address.

When federal agents executed a search warrant at the defendants' residence on October 14, 2020, they seized dozens of notebooks filled with hundreds of identity-theft victim personally identifiable information. Agents also recovered an envelope containing fake California driver's licenses, credit and debit cards, and checkbooks in victims' names.

Acevedo pleaded guilty in October 2022, while Rich previously pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. Rich was sentenced to three years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $113,400 in restitution, jointly and severally with Acevedo.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/west-sacramento-woman-sentenced-over-4-years-prison-mail-fraud-and-aggravated-identity