Police: 3 Fayetteville men took checks from mailboxes in Wake County
Three Fayetteville men are facing charges for their alleged role in a conspiracy and scheme involving the theft of checks from United States Postal Service collection boxes located in Wake County.
The indictment charges Darrell Alan Thompson, Antonio Rasheed Hair and Michael James Pasea with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Thompson, Hair and Pasea are also charged with multiple counts of bank fraud and aiding and abetting.
Each man faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment for each count of conviction on these charges.
Also, Thompson is charged with theft of mail and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. If convicted, Thompson faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment for the theft charge and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for the gun charge.
Allegations in the 13-count indictment state at least one of the men stole checks from the collection boxes, after which the checks were altered to change the payee information to the name of individuals enlisted to provide access to their bank accounts for use in the scheme.
The co-conspirators allegedly then deposited the fraudulent checks into the bank accounts and withdrew, and attempted to withdraw, the funds from ATMs.
“We’ve made our partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service a cornerstone of our antifraud strategy and are seeking additional postal resources to grow even stronger in this critical area,” U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in a news release. “We are prioritizing cases where anyone tries to undermine the integrity of our federal mail system.
“Anyone sending checks through the mail should notify the bank immediately of any unauthorized activity.”
