Providence man pleads guilty to mail theft, violating terms of release

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Providence man who was found to be in possession of nearly $200,000 in stolen and fraudulent checks while serving a term of federal supervised release pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of stolen mail.

According to charging documents, on February 2, 2023, during his arrest on an unrelated narcotics charge, 25-year-old Edmilson Rodriguez was found to be in possession of 91 legitimate checks totaling approximately $170,758.26 and eight fraudulent checks totaling $22,828.01. Also seized was a black check-paper stock used for making fake checks.

Further investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service determined that the legitimate checks seized from Rodriguez’s home were mailed out by various businesses but were never received by the intended recipients.

At the time of his arrest on a state drug charge, Rodriguez was serving a term of supervised release after a two-year sentence for a previous charge of bank fraud from September 2020.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2024, on a stolen mail charge and for violating terms of his federal supervised release.