Two Los Angeles men pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal criminal charges for defrauding banks and credit unions out of at least $2.7 million by depositing checks stolen from the mail into bank accounts belonging to accomplices they recruited through Instagram.
Prosecutors said that from October 2020 to last August, Corona, Edeza and other co-conspirators engaged in a scheme that involved the theft of checks from the mail, including some that were taken from collection boxes outside post offices. The perpetrators would then solicit account holders through social media to provide their debit cards and bank account information, promising them a cut of any stolen funds deposited into their accounts.Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
The defendants would then make cash withdrawals, electronic transfers or debit card purchases to drain the money from the accounts.