Two men were arrested on May 12 after months of alleged mail theft at the Camarillo Post Office.
The arrest comes after investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Service were made aware of a spike in mail thefts and check fraud in the city of Camarillo in April and May, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Authorities found that the two men involved in the alleged mail theft would stuff cardboard into exterior mailboxes at the Camarillo Post Office, the sheriff’s office said. Customers would place outgoing mail into the overflowing boxes, unaware they were full.
The two would steal the mail, which would often contain checks, officials said. The men would then alter the checks, changing the dollar amounts.
Investigators estimate that people in the Camarillo area suffered losses totaling around $100,000 collectively.
On May 12, detectives doing extra patrols at the post office saw a vehicle nearby that was linked to a previous mail theft and contacted the two inside, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators searched the vehicle and found a large quantity of stolen mail, including several checks valued at thousands of dollars.
A 19-year-old Norwalk man and a 21-year-old Garden Grove man were arrested on suspicion of felonies for conspiracy and receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor for mail theft, records show.
The two were booked into Ventura County jail with bail set at $75,000 each, jail records show. They are scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on May 14.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 2 arrested after months of alleged mail theft at Camarillo Post Office
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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