RICHMOND, VA – A brazen fraud and firearm scheme targeting Richmond businesses has landed Lareese Martelles Mallety, 25, of Raeford, North Carolina, a decade behind bars. Mallety was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for conspiring to commit mail and bank fraud, and for illegally possessing a firearm as a repeat offender. The case lays bare a calculated operation preying on local businesses and exploiting vulnerable individuals.
Between July 2018 and his October 2018 arrest, Mallety repeatedly traveled from near Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Richmond to orchestrate the theft of mail from business parks. He and his crew didn’t bother with finesse – pry bars were used to forcibly open secure mailboxes, giving them access to the incoming and outgoing mail of over 70 businesses. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was a systematic pilfering designed to fuel a larger criminal enterprise.
The stolen mail contained checks, which Mallety then altered using razor blades and a typewriter, making them payable to recruited homeless individuals. In just three months, these individuals cashed over a dozen of the fraudulently altered checks, totaling over $36,000. Mallety directed the operation, ensuring the money flowed back to him, turning desperation into profit. The scheme was callous, leveraging the vulnerability of those already struggling.
When authorities moved in on Mallety in October 2018, a search of his rental car yielded a disturbing haul: the pry bar used to break into mailboxes, razor blades, a typewriter, three stolen U.S. mail parcels, and a staggering $120,000 worth of stolen checks. But the most chilling discovery was a handgun found hidden under his seat. Mallety, a nine-time convicted felon, admitted to carrying the weapon for “protection,” and frequently flashed it to the homeless recruits to ensure their compliance.
This wasn’t Mallety’s first rodeo. He has two prior convictions for conspiring to commit armed robbery and a previous conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. This latest sentence is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program aimed at reducing violent crime. The program focuses on the most dangerous offenders and emphasizes both enforcement and community-based prevention programs.
U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced the sentencing, handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin G. Cooke prosecuted the case. Court documents related to Case No. 3:18-cr-160 can be found on PACER or the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Related Federal Cases
- North Carolina Check Fraud Kingpin Sentenced to 85 Months · Pennsylvania
- Edward Yoder Jailed for Hiding $350K in Bankruptcy Scam · North Carolina
- Lavon Williams Gets 24 Years for Coast-to-Coast Weed Run · North Carolina
- Bloods Leader Brooks Gets 5 Years, Tried to Bribe Cops · North Carolina
- Moyock Felon Gets 77 Months for Illegal Firearm · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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