Rochester man pleads guilty to his role in financial fraud scheme involving stolen checks.
Sheldon Marquis Adams, 26, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.
The scheme involved approximately 227 individual victims and 36 business victims, in addition to the victim financial institutions, and stolen and altered checks totaling approximately $516,912.17. Adams was found in possession of 15 pages of blank check stock paper and approximately 335 checks that had been stolen between April and June 2023 from U.S. Postal Service blue collection boxes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford stated that between March and September 29, 2023, Adams conspired with others to obtain hundreds of checks that had been stolen from U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in the Rochester, NY, area. Adams and his co-conspirators would then forge or alter the checks with the intent to obtain money from the associated bank accounts.
Adams used social media to recruit individuals to cash or deposit the checks into their own accounts and withdraw the money before the issuing bank detected the fraud. If the individuals successfully cashed the checks, they would give the money to the members of the conspiracy in return for a small payment.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Defendant Name: Sheldon Marquis Adams
Exact Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
City and State: Rochester, NY
Exact Date: Between March and September 29, 2023
Sentence or Outcome: Pleaded Guilty, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine
Dollar Amounts: $516,912.17
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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