Nicholas Milano White, Mail Theft, Maryland 2021

Baltimore Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Mail Theft and Identity Theft

A Baltimore man has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for his role in a scheme to steal mail and steal benefits under the CARES Act, as well as aggravated identity theft. Nicholas Milano White, 30, was sentenced on March 30, 2021, in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

White was found guilty of conspiracy to steal mail, emergency benefits fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $29,234, the full amount of the victims' losses.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to court documents, between October 2019 and June 2020, White conspired to and engaged in various fraud schemes, including the theft of mail, counterfeiting of U.S. currency, production and possession of false identification documents and credit profiles, unemployment insurance fraud, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

White admitted to submitting a fraudulent application for financing to purchase a 2016 Maserati Ghibli vehicle, using a false social security number and false employment and income information. He also arranged to have fake paystubs created for attachment to the credit application as verification of his income. As a result, White secured financing of $30,227 to purchase the vehicle.

Additionally, in February and March 2020, White devised schemes to defraud banks and to steal money from individuals by negotiating checks stolen from the United States mail. Law enforcement was able to monitor the movements of White and his co-conspirators through a GPS tracking device installed in a parcel stolen from the collection box at the Rosedale Post Office in Baltimore County.

The conspirators' movements were tracked to several other post offices and collection boxes in Baltimore County where they continued to steal mail. When Baltimore County Police officers approached, the conspirators fled in a white sedan registered to one of White's co-conspirators. Officers located the vehicle in a residential area of Pikesville, Maryland, and found gloves, trash bags, and approximately 358 pieces of unprocessed U.S. mail on the ground outside the vehicle.

White was arrested and released from custody following his arrest. There were at least 136 postal customers whose mail was stolen, and approximately 48 victims reported that their stolen mail contained bank checks or other financial instruments totaling over $29,234.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/serial-fraudster-sentenced-8-years-federal-prison-conspiring-steal-mail-stealing-benefits